Elfen Lied: The Second Chance
by Cliffy G
Summary: Seven years after the events of Elfen Lied, what has happened to everyone? Lucy's trials are finally at an end, but how has she been changed in the past couple of years? LucyxKouta. COMPLETED WITH EPILOGUE.
1. Chapter 1: Sunlight

(Author's Notes): Well, I finally summoned up the courage to do it. A while back on the Second Heartbeat forums, someone mentioned a fiction challenge, namely to write about a Lucy-Kouta pairing, their life together after the events of the EL anime ending (Assuming she survives it) and what happens to them afterwards. This is by far my most thought about fic yet, so the description is much heavier than my other ones. Well, enough of me and my random mutterings, on with the fic!

* * *

It was early morning. The sun had just begun to rise, its warm rays slowly wiping away the shadows of night, like a great hand erasing chalk marks off a piece of slate. The dawn chorus had just begun, with birds of all shapes and sizes competing to see which one could sing the loudest. People began to wake as well, slowly bringing Kamakura to life. Shops began to open, traffic on the roads slowly began increasing, and the density of people walking along the streets thickened slowly. It was a normal day just like any other, with people going about their daily lives just like they normally would.

The first rays of the morning sun reached a small house on the outskirts of the city. The warm sunlight easily penetrated the thin material of the bedroom curtains, casting strange, shimmering patterns on the walls and furniture. The windows were open, and the sounds of people on the streets outside wafted in gently, snatches of conversation that existed for a second, then disappeared forever into the warm, lazy air. This laziness was reflected by the room's inhabitants. There were two figures in the bed. One was a man. He had short, blackish hair, just on the untidy side of normal. His face was neither handsome nor unpleasant. In fact, he looked just like any other person you might meet on the street, glance at for a second or two, then forget about two seconds later.

The other was a woman. She had long, cherry pink hair that descended below her shoulders. Right now it had collected in little pools around her face, the sunlight glinting on the shimmering strands. Her face was attractive, but also striking at the same time. She shifted her position slightly, sleepily hooking one arm around the man next to her, drawing herself slowly closer to him. One eye slowly opened, revealing a reddish pink iris. Lucy had woken.

She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, catching sight of herself in the nearby mirror as she did so. Her hair fell down beneath her shoulders, obscuring half her face. She quickly brushed it back; that style belonged to someone else, someone she had left behind long ago. She looked away. The room they were in didn't have much in the way of furniture. Just a wardrobe, the bed, the mirror, some shelves holding numerous books and a couple of boxes scattered around. Lucy sighed. It had been some time since they had moved out of Kaede House and gone to live on the outskirts of Kamakura.

She looked back down at the figure next to her. Kouta was sleeping soundly. It didn't surprise her; he had been up half the night, doing whatever it was he did for his job. It had been seven years. Seven long, distant years since she had returned to him, shivering and covered in her own blood. She didn't remember most of her battle with the enemy soldiers, only that she had won, and lost a horn in the process. It didn't matter, though. They had grown back.

She lifted a hand, touching the small, rounded bumps that had caused her so much pain, and allowed her to cause so much pain. They were like a curse, constantly reminding her of her dark, murderous past. Her other half had not surfaced since that night. Perhaps it was because it was no longer needed. In all honesty, she hadn't expected Kouta to stay with her for very long. But he did. "_He just feels sorry for you, that's all. One day, his pity will run out._" She kept telling herself, but he stayed with her, eventually moving out of Kaede House with her.

A thin, translucent object emerged from Lucy's back. Twisting around her, it slowly made its way towards Kouta's head. Lucy, lost in her memories, hardly noticed. Inevitably, her memories, the things she treasured most, would also bring her the most pain. It was a truly viscous cycle, but she didn't want it to stop. Yuka had moved out at the same time they had. She seemed to realise that there was something Lucy and Kouta had that she would never be able to understand. Mayu and Nana had gone with her, leaving the future of Kaede House uncertain. It was probably better for them to all move on with their lives anyway, especially Mayu and Nana, who had everything to live for now.

Nana. More painful memories surfaced, memories Lucy could not hold back. She remembered how she had mocked her, taunted her for her indecisiveness, then savagely tore her apart. The most sickening part was that she had enjoyed it. _Like a savage beast_, she thought. _A beast which kills because it can._ Lucy hoped she had found happiness. She was also glad that Yuka had gone. Lucy had never liked her. She was irritating and possessive, and Lucy had narrowly avoided causing her serious damage on more than one occasion, usually by sheer virtue of her own willpower in holding herself back.

Lucy suddenly noticed that one of her vectors was out. It had settled on Kouta's upturned cheek and lay there, unmoving. It was strange; she had never really cared about the consequences of her killing sprees before. It was only when faced with the victim of one of her worst that she began to feel the crushing sensation of guilt and despair. The only thing she could do was try and make him happy. Despite everything she had done to him, Kouta had stood by her. _I truly don't deserve him._

He had been kind to her when others had done nothing but hurt her. He had played with her when everyone else turned their backs on her. Slowly, Lucy withdrew her vector. She shifted her position slightly, dangling her legs over the edge of the bed. Of course, he had his faults. He had done some pretty naïve things in the past, though they paled in comparison to the mistakes she had made.

Lucy pushed herself up and walked over to the wardrobe. She slowly changed out of her white night robe and began to get dressed. As she did so, she listened to the sounds coming through the open window, the sounds of the world outside. Lucy rarely ventured outside the house these days, although she occasionally went out into the garden. Sometimes Kouta would take her out for a day, and she was grateful for his presence.

Just as she was finishing getting dressed, a high pitched wailing noise started up, like a baby crying. Lucy sighed deeply. How annoying. She had already been through this once before; why did it have to be like this again? It was troublesome enough the first time, being woken up at all hours of the day and night. Still, it had interrupted her reveries, which, frequent as they were, all lead to a temporary depression in her. The room she was in had two doors, and now Lucy crossed to one of them. The wailing continued.

"Okay, okay…I'm coming…" She muttered, before opening the door and stepping through. The room she was now in was a small annex that had once been a part of the bedroom, but at some point a wall had been constructed there. This room contained numerous items of furniture, but only one thing in it was of interest to Lucy right now; the source of the noise. She sighed again. It was time to feed the second child.

* * *

(Author's Notes): Well, how was it? I've never tried something like this before, so constructive criticism would be much appreciated. You may notice some OOCness as the story continues, especially with Lucy. This is intentional. She is trying to change herself for the person she loves. Well, I hope to have the next chapter up soon, so keep on the lookout for it!


	2. Chapter 2: Feeding

(Author's notes): Well, after about a week, chapter two is up. I'm using the first few chapters to reintroduce Lucy and Kouta and to try and explain about their relationship, so please forgive me if I've butchered your favourite pairing. A big thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, you guys are lifesavers! Anyway, what are you doing reading this? The fic is right here!

* * *

The small annex was bathed in shadows, since the only window was small and set high on the wall. Lucy flicked on the light switch, revealing the source of the noise to be a small cot in the centre of the room. She walked over to it, her bare feet making no noise as they trod through the carpeted floor. The cries emanating from the cot seemed to diminish as she drew nearer, as if the infant inside could sense that its mother was approaching. She stopped when she was right next to the cot, and slowly reached inside.

She drew out a small bundle. Inside was a small baby, wrapped up in a blanket, with only her face exposed. She was the spitting image of her mother except for her eyes, which were a deep blue colour. "You have your daddy's eyes." Lucy whispered softly, stroking the infant's hair as she did so. Like her mother, the baby girl had small, grey horns on the sides of her head. Her diclonius genes appeared to be dominant over human ones.

The child she held was their second. The first was six years old and presumably asleep in his room. Lucy had never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would someday be a mother, even with all the talk of her being the 'Queen' of her race. If someone had told her, she would have simply laughed, then probably killed the person who had said it. _Just fulfilling my role as bringer of the next step in human evolution_, she thought. It was funny in a way. It seemed she had been wrong with her prediction; after seven years, there was no increase in the number of Silpelits being born. Then again, Lucy hadn't exactly gone around purposely infecting people since then, and she assumed Nana hadn't either, so the only risk was from her young son. In other words, nearly no risk at all.

She pushed these thoughts aside and returned to the matter at hand. When nursing her first child, Lucy had discovered that it was useful to always carry a milk bottle around with her, as opposed to leaving it somewhere where it would most likely be forgotten about. She unwrapped the blankets and placed the bottle over her child's mouth. Lucy watched the infant drink, knowing that at least a quarter of the bottle would end up on and around the baby rather than in her. _I wonder if I was like that when I was a baby…On second thoughts, better not go there._

The infant's name was Sakura. She was five months old and had only just stopped being breast fed. To Lucy, this was a good thing, as Sakura had just started teething. _They most definitely do not go well together_, she thought, wincing as she did so. The first time had been worse. Much worse, and mostly because this had all been new ground to her at the time. When she came back from the bridge, her life seemed to have totally fallen apart. She had been tormented by visions and nightmares of her past, her mind taking her back to the orphanage, to the festival, to the train, to her escape from the facility. Every person she had killed haunted her, making her afraid to sleep at night. Unable to stop herself, Lucy had begun to slip into a deep depression, to the point where she did not care whether she lived or died.

But through all the darkness, one thing remained clear. It was ironic how the one man who had suffered most by her hands was the one who stayed by her when she herself was suffering. It was through him that she found her new reason for existing. It was very simple, actually. She wanted to see him smile. She lived for those moments. The nightmares grew less frequent as time went on, and although they would never fully disappear, Lucy felt like she was finally getting somewhere. Eventually it reached the point where she and Kouta were no longer bound purely by pain, but by happiness as well. Over about a year, their relationship slowly grew, until it was consummated one summer night.

Then she found out she was pregnant, and all hell broke loose. She wasn't just scared that Kouta would find out. She was terrified. Lucy, the woman who could slaughter an entire battalion of armed soldiers without batting an eye, Lucy, the girl who showed no mercy, was absolutely petrified of the person she loved most, of the one who cared about her the most. She needn't have been, of course. Kouta wasn't like that. He hadn't been angry with her at all. It had all been very surreal for Lucy; she wondered if, deep down, this had been what she had always wanted.

A noise from the room next door caught Lucy's attention. It seemed Kouta had woken as well.

* * *

Kouta rarely woke early in the morning, but today seemed to be an exception. As soon as he woke, he knew Lucy wasn't there. This didn't surprise him, since she often got up before him anyway. He slowly pushed himself up, trying (And failing) to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he did so. It had been a long night, especially with Sakura waking everyone up every three hours or so wanting to be fed. Sure enough, he noticed that the door to the nursery was ajar. Lucy was probably in there.

He disengaged himself from the tangled mass of blankets and got up to investigate. Sure enough, she was in there, holding Sakura. As he watched, she slowly pulled the now empty bottle away from their child, which proved difficult since she was clinging to it with both her tiny hands. It seemed that Sakura's infantile hobbies included either not letting go of things or biting them, sometimes both at the same time. This became a problem when said object was her mother/father's finger, but thankfully that rarely happened. Kouta slowly crossed over to Lucy and put his arms around her.

He felt her tense, then relax a split second later. She turned to face him, and as usual he was struck by how attractive she looked. Her eyes had lost the dead, haunted look that had filled them in the past. They looked more like Nyu's eyes now. Nyu hadn't appeared for a long time, and Kouta was inclined to agree with Lucy's theory that it was because she was no longer needed; they were now one and the same. It was probably one less thing for Lucy to worry about anyway.

"Good morning." He said softly, pulling her closer. She rested her head against his chest, murmuring, "Good morning." Under her breath. She looked up at him.

"Do you have much work to do today?" She asked, wondering idly if she could help. She didn't know much about his job, only that it involved chemistry, but she tried to help out whenever possible.

"Nothing really, apart from some reports and one or two pieces of administrative work." He replied, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Having missed most of her school years being on the run, Lucy found it quite hard to do things most people take for granted, like basic maths and reading. This however did not stop her from trying her hardest to help him, and for this he was grateful, even if she didn't quite know what she was doing.

By now, Sakura had grown tired with playing with her empty bottle. She dropped it nonchalantly. Mummy's hair looked much nicer. She grabbed out at it, her small hands closing around the reddish strands. She giggled and tugged playfully. Kouta saw Lucy wince. She tried to pry the little fingers off, but it was no use; Sakura was determined to hold on to her new toy. Kouta suppressed a laugh before moving in to help her. Deprived of her plaything, Sakura stared balefully up at her parents, as if to say, _Give that back, you meanies!_

"Now, now, Sakura, you know mummy doesn't like it when you do that." He chided, Lucy sighing as he did so. She could be such a nuisance sometimes, but that didn't matter. Lucy loved both their children. _How could I not? They are physical proof of our love for each other. _

"Are you feeling okay? You seem a little strange today." Kouta asked. Lucy shook her head, at the same time trying to think of something to say.

"I'm fine, just a little hungry." She replied. Kouta smiled at her.

"Then let's go and have something to eat." He said. Lucy did her best to smile back.

* * *

(Author's notes): Well, how was it? Sorry if it seems a bit unlikely, but it was the best I could do. Oh, and for those who dont know, the consummation of a relationship is sex. I just couldnt think of any other way to describe it. Expect chapter three to be up next weekend. I'm trying to do weekly updates instead of random ones. It gives me more incentive to continue writing if I have a deadline. Oh, and please review, even if it's to tell me that this chapter sucked. 


	3. Chapter 3: First Child

(Author's Notes): Well, here it is, Chapter Three. I wanted to upload this earlier, but the document upload system was acting weird, so I couldnt. Well, better late than never! This chapter serves mainly to further develop Lucy and Kouta's family, so there wont be any action here. In fact, there may very well never be, since this story is mainly about Lucy's struggle with herself. Of course, anything can happen... Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

The house Lucy and Kouta lived in now had three floors; a ground floor, a second floor and an attic. The ground floor contained the kitchen, the living room, a downstairs bathroom and a small dining room, as well as a small hall connecting all of these rooms with each other and the front door. The hall also led directly into the stairs to the second floor. The second floor contained the master bedroom and the nursery annex attached to it, the main bathroom, several smaller bedrooms and the study. Most of these rooms were connected directly to the second floor landing which was in turn connected to the stairs.

They didn't usually eat in the dining room, unless they had guests, which was a rarity. They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, the kind where words are unnecessary. It was situations like these that reminded Kouta just how far they had both come. It had been extremely difficult simply trying to get her to eat with everyone after her return. Eventually, however, he had managed to coax her out of the emotionless shell she had built around herself. It had definitely not been an easy ride. He had been in constant battle with himself over what to do with her.

One side of him wanted to leave her, to punish her and make her miserable for what she had done to him and countless other nameless individuals. Lucy was a murderer without restraint, and therefore deserved neither pity nor mercy. In that respect, she was little better than an animal with the mindless goal to survive and replicate.

But another side of him thought differently. She had taken away irreplaceable things in his life, true. But she had suffered just as much as he had, if not more so. Lucy never told him what had happened to her on the island facility, but he was willing to bet that it was unspeakable. By hating her, and regarding her as sub-human, he would be no better than everyone else.

Eventually the latter part of himself had won out. _Without forgiveness, we cannot move forwards. _He had found it within himself to forgive Lucy, and now he had a wonderful family to show for it. Perhaps this was karma making up for all the bad things that had happened to them. _What's with all this philosophy all of a sudden? I'm beginning to think like Lucy. _He suddenly realised that she was looking at him.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, in a quiet voice that did not totally mask her concern. He smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine, it's just-" There came a crash from upstairs. Both Kouta and Lucy looked up at the ceiling, frowning. This had been happening a lot recently.

* * *

For the third time that week, Dan had woken to find himself on the floor. It seemed to have become an unfortunate habit of his, and the six year old boy was not at all pleased at waking up early in the morning with a big bruise all down one side. He picked himself up off the floor, rubbing the parts of him that hurt. He yawned absently, trying to figure out what to do now that he had woken up early. Like his mother, Dan was on the more introverted side of normal, and enjoyed his own company, but that wasn't to say that he hated the company of others. For this reason, he enjoyed reading more than anything else; his reading age was far beyond his peers at school, and a small section of wall in his room was solely devoted to a large bookshelf. 

A shimmering, translucent arm reached over Dan's shoulder and floated towards the shelf. Hovering for a moment, it picked out a volume and brought it back, the small boy reaching out to take it. As he did so, he remembered something that had happened some time ago…

"_Dan, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" _

"_What is it, mum?"_

"_Look at what has happened," His mother said, indicating the smashed shelves. Dan looked down at his feet, fidgeting a little. He had gotten angry again, and this was the result._

"_I've said I'm sorry already!" He protested, but then stopped. His mother was…crying?_

"_Dan, I need you to promise me something," She said, taking both of his hands in hers, "I need you to promise that you will never use those arms in anger." _

"_But…It was…"_

"_Please. One day, when you are older, you will understand. You could have seriously hurt someone."_

"…_I promise, mum."_

"_Thank you."_

The book fell to the floor. How had he forgotten? After that, he had promised himself that he would never use his vectors again, _ever_, not just out of anger. He bent down, picking the book up off the floor and smoothing down the covers. This book was one of his favourites, its central storyline being one of adventure and intrigue. As with most young boys his age, Dan had a wild imagination, which he expressed through scrawled drawings and prolonged periods of daydreaming.

Dan himself was fairly tall for his age; at least, he was the tallest in his class at school. He had light brownish hair, along with reddish brown eyes that looked a little scary to people who didn't know him. There was also a small scar just above and to the left side of his left eye. He had got this by tripping up in the bath and slamming his face into the tap; needless to say, he had never done that again. Like his mother, he possessed two large grey horns to the sides of his head.

Dan suddenly realised that he was hungry. He placed the book back on its shelf and started getting dressed, since there was no point in going back to bed now that he was fully awake. When he was finished he crossed over to the door and opened it, stepping out onto the landing.

* * *

Downstairs in the kitchen, Kouta and Lucy could clearly hear their son coming down the stairs. It looked like the day was finally beginning to speed up. Soon it would be time for the mail to arrive, then Kouta would go to work and take Dan to school, leaving Lucy to look after the house. Sure enough, there came the clatter of letters being pushed through the letterbox and onto the wooden floor. Kouta finished eating, then started to get up. 

"I'll get it!" Came a small voice from the hall. Smiling at the sound of his son's voice, Kouta sat down again. Seeing this, Lucy smiled as well. Recently, Dan had made it his duty to collect the mail for them. Lucy wondered who it was from. It couldn't be for her. She almost never received mail.

He quickly came back, walking into the kitchen, a single letter in his hands.

"It was only one this time." He said, handing it to his father. So, it was for Kouta. He tore it open and began to read the letter inside. As he did so, an odd change seemed to come over him. He seemed to grow a little paler. Lucy wondered what was wrong. Was it bad news from work?

"What's wrong? Something bad happen?" She asked, wondering if she should fear the worst. Kouta turned to face her. Slowly, he folded the letter and handed it to her. Puzzled, she unfolded it and began to read. By the end of it, she knew why Kouta was worried.

"Yuka…" She began.

"…Wants to come and stay with us." He finished.

* * *

(Author's Notes): What will happen next? Wait untill next week and you'll find out! How will Lucy deal with this latest development? What about Yuka? How will Lucy and Nana get along? Will this fic ever pass the hundred review mark? Dont worry, though, the next chapter is sure to shed light on all these questions! 


	4. Chapter 4: Preparations

(Author's Notes): Okay, first off I would like to make a HUGE apology for missing my update. This was due to a number of reasons, mostly because of a nasty virus I got and also because my documents refused to upload. Anyway, it's here now, so everything's cool, right? A huge thank you for everyone who has reviewed so far, you people are my inspiration.

* * *

Kouta and Lucy waited for Dan to finish eating before discussing the matter. After he had finished and disappeared back up to his room, Lucy made the first remark.

"Why does your cousin want to stay with us all of a sudden?" She looked troubled. Kouta had seen her several times over the years, but so far Lucy had managed to avoid her. It wasn't that she hated Yuka, she just felt uncomfortable around her. If Yuka was indeed coming to stay for a while, a confrontation would be unavoidable.

"She's getting an extension on her house, apparently. Half her room is going to be demolished, so she has to move out for a while." Kouta leaned back in his chair, frowning. It had been around a year since he had last seen her. Yuka had been in almost constant contact with him since he had moved out. It was quite scary, actually. Half the messages on the answer machine were from her.

"I suppose we cant refuse." Lucy's statement echoed Kouta's exact thoughts. He couldn't exactly turn her away without a good reason. But it seemed he had even more bad news for her.

"There's one more thing. Mayu and Nana will be coming too." Lucy felt as if the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. Why? Why now, when everything was going so well? Why did she have to be reminded of the past she was trying so hard to leave behind? Kouta noticed her crestfallen face.

"Don't worry, it'll only be for a short time. If you really don't want it, I'll ring Yuka and tell her we cant-"

"No, it's okay." Lucy interrupted. _It was going to happen sooner or later. I suppose I'll just have to get used to things like these._ _Who knows? It might help me get over everything._ She wondered what had happened to them in the past seven years. Mayu would probably be at university by now, and Yuka would be working. Nana…would be trying to help but actually making things worse. A question suddenly occurred to Lucy.

"When will they be arriving?" She asked, so that she knew how much time she had to prepare herself. This was going to be extremely awkward.

"According to the letter, she'll be here tomorrow." Kouta sighed inwardly. Way to give advanced warning, Yuka. Way to go. It was exactly like when he'd gone to Kaede House. She had just popped up then, too.

"Tomorrow…" Lucy repeated. That didn't leave much time. At least she had all day today to get everything ready, seeing as she didn't have a job and could stay at home. It was nearly time for Kouta to go to work, and he always dropped Dan off at school on the way there, meaning that it would soon just be her and Sakura left in the house by themselves.

Just as she was thinking this, Kouta glanced down at his watch. Lucy looked over at the clock on the wall. It was nearly that time of day already…

"It's almost time for me to go." He said, getting up. Lucy stood up as well and began clearing away the tableware. Kouta left the room and called for Dan. Lucy sighed. It was silly, but she never liked this kind of time when half her family was out of the house. Saying goodbye was always hard, even though she knew that they would be back very soon.

Soon, Dan and Kouta were standing by the front door, ready to leave. The day was finally beginning to speed up.

"Have a nice day." Said Lucy, hoping they would. Kouta smiled, then pulled her into a warm embrace. She clung to him tightly, enjoying the brief feeling of closeness it gave her.

"You too." He replied, before letting go and stepping outside. _Today is the day the new product arrives…_He thought, although it probably wouldn't be very exciting. Unless, of course, you find ten ton cathodes interesting.

"Bye mummy! See you later!" Dan trilled, looking back over his shoulder at his mother. When he had first been sent to school, Lucy had been worried that he could be treated like an outcast like she had been. Luckily, she was mistaken. His horns had been explained away as a birth defect caused by a faulty gene, and since Lucy had them too, nobody bothered to question the matter too deeply.

She waved goodbye slowly, watching as they got into the car and drove off. She watched until the car turned a corner and disappeared from view, then slowly stepped back inside and closed the door. She leaned against it for a moment, exhaling slowly. _I should probably get everything ready for tomorrow…Whilst I have time._

She crossed the hall and climbed the stairs, thinking about what was to be done. Three people…That would be three rooms. _There should be enough, even if we have to cram someone into the study._ By the time she had finished thinking, Lucy realised that her feet had subconsciously taken her to the master bedroom. Seized by a sudden idea, Lucy entered. _If I remember rightly…_She crossed the room and began searching through one of the bookshelves. Finding what she was looking for, Lucy pulled out an old photo album. A small smile escaped her lips as she thumbed through it. Pictures of her and Kouta together (_Times I shall never forget._), pictures of Dan as a baby (_He was sweet back then…_), pictures of her on the beach in a bathing suit (_Why the hell do I let those pictures exist?_). However, those pictures were not her objective.

The picture she was looking for was on the inside cover. It was a picture of Lucy, Kouta, Yuka, Nana and Mayu all standing in the entrance to Kaede House. It was taken a few days before they left, about six and a half years ago. Looking at the picture, Lucy tried to imagine what everyone would look like after so much time had passed and wondered how they would greet her.

Mainly she wondered what they would think of her. _Will Yuka still be jealous of me?_ Knowing her, probably._ What about Nana? She won't have forgotten what I did to her._ It would be very awkward and complicated, she knew, but at least one problem had already been eliminated; namely, that she could talk in coherent sentences. Kouta had told them a partial version of the truth, so the fact that she could speak was no longer a problem. She was used to communicating more with her eyes and body language rather than through speech, but this was going to be one of those times where talking was necessary.

Lucy pushed these thoughts away and put the picture back into the album. She had precious little time and needed to get everything ready for tomorrow. _How many times have I thought that so far? Probably far too many_, she thought dryly. But it was no use thinking unless she actually did something about it. _Time to get to work…_

* * *

For someone else, it was also time to get to work. Kouta, having dropped Dan off at school a few minutes earlier, was just in the process of parking his car in the private car park where he worked. The company Kouta worked for was involved in the latter stages of metal purification, namely the process of electroplating. A new type of cathode was being delivered today, so the facility was unusually active, and there were a lot of people running about. _I hope this one works better than the one we have now_, he thought. A more efficient cathode would mean less money wasted and therefore less paperwork for him. _And less paperwork is always a good thing._

Kouta got out of the car, locked it and swiftly made his way over to one of the building's many entrances. The building itself was low and grey, with the majority of the facility being located underground to save space. The cells used for the electroplating process were huge, twice as big as your average house. This was a necessity, since a lot of metal needed to be produced so that the process was cost efficient.

"Hey, wait up!" Came a voice from behind him. Kouta turned to see one of his work colleagues walking towards him.

"What's up?" Kouta asked as they both entered into the main lobby.

"The boss wanted me to tell you that they've just finished installing the new electrode. They'll be testing it within the hour." He replied. Kouta sighed. _Let me guess…I'll be the observer and have to write a ten billion page report on how wonderful the thing is._

"I expect he was happy about that." Kouta said, knowing what an understatement it was. The boss was the only person Kouta knew who performed electrolysis experiments for fun. _He probably has a collection of cathodes and anodes at home_, he thought.

"Are you kidding? He was so overjoyed he nearly cried." He replied, grinning slightly.

"Well, whatever. Let's see what this new electrode can do." Kouta said as they stepped into the elevator.

* * *

(Author's Notes): I'm sorry if nothing much happened in this chapter, but I promise next chapter will be different! I'm also sorry if I butchered my electroylsis explanation, or if there is something wrong with it. Anyhow, I PROMISE next update will be on time! 


	5. Chapter 5: Influx

(Author's Notes): Well, here's chapter five. I've decided to upload it a day early, firstly because of the fact that I updated late last week and because Christmas has started. JUst an early warning, I'm going to visit my grandparents for the run up to christmas day, so I may not be able to update since I dont think they have internet. Rest assured, though, that I will take my laptop just in case.

* * *

Lucy heard the front door open, then close again. _Finally, he's back. _She got up from where she was sitting in the living room, making sure that Sakura, who was with her, did not fall off the sofa, and swiftly made her way into the hall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dan clambering up the stairs for a brief moment. Kouta was still in the doorway, taking off his shoes and looking extremely tired.

"Hard day at work?" She asked softly, moving to embrace him. He sighed heavily. _Yeah, you could say that._

"No more than usual." He replied heavily, slinging an arm around her. _Just that the new electrode worked really, really well, and that now I have to write an encyclopaedia about why we should adopt it as our new standard and deliver it to the manufacturers._

"I see…" Lucy frowned. She couldn't help but feel that every hour that ticked by was an hour closer to an unpleasant reunion. Kouta seemed to sense her distress.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." He whispered, stroking her hair as he did so. Lucy sighed and closed her eyes. _I can get through this if Kouta is with me._ She had already decided that she would not run away any more. Now it was time to make good on that promise she had made to herself. Lucy slowly broke away from Kouta.

"I made sure everything was ready." She stated, turning back to go and check on Sakura. Kouta smiled, and marvelled once again at how much she had changed in the past seven years. It was the little things, like preparing for guests, that were most obvious. _She truly is a different person now._ He followed her into the living room and sat down next to her, carefully picking up Sakura so he didn't sit on her. She immediately grabbed onto one of his fingers, smiling as she opened her mouth to bite.

"No, don't- ow!" Lucy saw Kouta get bitten out of the corner of her eye. She smiled faintly, but didn't immediately know why. _Is this…amusement? Is amusement a good thing or a bad thing when something like that happens to someone else but not to you? _She pondered this for a moment, then decided that it depended on circumstance.

Kouta eventually solved the problem of the hand biting baby by encouraging her to bite the arm of the sofa instead. He rubbed his sore hand, small teeth marks showing the areas Sakura had particularly liked.

"Why does she always bite my hand?" He wondered aloud. Lucy was quick to reply.

"Maybe your hand tastes good." _Huh? Did I just make a joke? How odd._ Kouta laughed and looked at her.

"Really? The taste of printer ink from today's work has probably rubbed off on them." _Oh joy. There's still more to do as well. It pays better than my last job, but I still miss the university labs…_

Suddenly, Lucy felt a strange pressure inside her head. It was small, but persistent, like a dull headache that wont go away. Her hands shot up, clutching her head around the horns, her expression contorting slightly. Kouta moved closer to her, looking worried.

"What is it? What's the matter?" He asked, feeling slightly afraid.

"…She's getting closer…" Lucy muttered, a look of concentration on her face. _I can feel her already? From this far away?_ Eventually she straightened up. Seeing Kouta's look of concern, she told him what she had felt.

"They are getting closer. We diclonius can sense each other. I can feel Nana getting nearer. But…it's odd." She finished, looking confused.

"What is?"

"At this range, I shouldn't feel anything. At least, I never used to." She frowned. _Am I…getting stronger? If so, why? Actually, I don't care. I'd rather not have these abilities. All they've brought is pain._ She began to feel depressed again. _The nightmares will come again tonight._ Lucy was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to realise that Kouta was hugging her. She blushed heavily and tried to turn away.

"You know, you're easy to read sometimes. I know just what you need." He said, looking straight into her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat.

"W…What would that be?" She just had time to gasp out before he kissed her. Suddenly, her mind went blank, her thought process jamming. In that one moment, nothing else mattered and all her worries seemed to simply fall away. She closed her eyes and sank slowly into a blurred world of happiness. The pressure in her mind was drowned under an ocean of content. Unbeknownst to them both, many kilometres away, other important events were unfolding…

* * *

"Bleah, I still don't get this." The pink haired girl exclaimed, staring hard at the Laptop computer in front of her. Despite Nana's best efforts to turn it on, the screen remained obstinately black and irresponsive.

"Maybe that's because it isn't plugged in." Mayu replied calmly. She often wondered what Nana would do without her. Despite her reservations about letting Nana play around with her portable computer, Mayu had eventually given in and allowed her to play around with it. _I still have a feeling that I may regret doing so later. All my University stuff is stored on there._

"Ah! I see! Um…how do I do that?" Nana asked. They were in a car, and she didn't see any plug sockets around. Mayu rolled her eyes and sighed. Seven years on and Nana still had a lot to learn about the world.

"You have to use an adaptor. Here, take it." She handed her a length of black cable with a small socket on the end. Nana took it, looking confused.

"Where does it go?" Her friend asked, still looking confused. Mayu sighed again, then plugged the adaptor into the cigarette lighter located in the gap between the two front seats. The computer suddenly hummed into life.

"Ah, it works!" Nana exclaimed, smiling.

"What's all the fuss about?" Came a tired voice from the front of the car. A wave of long brown hair swirled around as the woman in the drivers seat turned to face them.

"It's nothing," Replied Mayu, "Just Nana getting excited over something again." Nana was busy fiddling round with the keyboard, and Mayu was praying that her fingers didn't go anywhere near the delete key.

"…I see." Yuka replied slowly. It had been a very tiring day, and being stuck in a traffic jam wasn't helping things. _At this rate we wont reach the hotel on time. _The plan had been for them to spend the first night in a hotel, then proceed to Kouta's house next morning. By the look of things, they would be lucky to get there next week.

Yuka stared out of the windscreen absently, twirling some locks of hair round her finger. _Kouta…I haven't seen him in so long. He likes long hair, doesn't he…? I mean, that girl had long hair…_She mentally shook herself. _No, I can't think like that. He's made his choice and I have to live with it, but…I still…_

She realised that the queue in front was thinning and began to drive slowly forwards. _There are more important things at hand._

In the back, Nana was still having fun with the computer. She had managed to open a word processor and was busy typing away, which was odd because she barely knew how to read and write. Mayu looked across at what she was doing, and, sure enough, the page was a mass of randomness that didn't even begin to resemble any language she had ever seen.

_I don't really get this computer thing, but it's really fun!_ Nana thought, still bashing random keys. _I'll have to get Mayu to – huh? What is…Argh!_ A sudden, overwhelming pressure inside her mind blinded all her other senses. She stopped typing, her hands falling limp over the keyboard, her eyes dilating slightly. _It's her! _The pressure grew, and Nana knew Lucy had recognised her. _So strong…Even more than before! Not even Mariko…not even she could compare with this!_ She clenched her teeth and tried to ignore it, but the pressure was too great.

"Nana? Is something wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Mayu inquired worriedly, noticing the change in her friend's behaviour. Nana didn't seem to notice, but reached up to her head, grasping at it as if she were in pain.

_No…Go away…N-no more…_Without warning, the pressure lessened, then disappeared completely. Nana slumped over, breathing heavily. _Lucy…what has happened?_ She suddenly realised that Mayu was saying something to her.

"Nana! What's the matter? Are you feeling sick?" Mayu asked frantically, her tone indicating that she knew this was not the case.

"I'm fine…just…just a little headache, that's all…" Nana lied, pulling herself together somewhat. _I only hope everything works out alright when we get there._

* * *

(Author's Notes): Well? Was it any good? I hope so. Next chapter the fun will finally start to begin! Just a word of warning; anyone who expects major Yuka bashing will probably be disappointed. There may be a little, but it will be negligable since I believe that everyone is capable of moving on with their lives. Well, goodbye until next week! 


	6. Chapter 6: Silent Night

(Author's Notes): Well, it's that time of the week again, so here's the update. I'll say this now to get it out of the way; I've had to bump up the rating in this chapter. This is due to Lucy's nightmare. I was kinda divided over putting violence into this fic, but then again it's in a dream, and it's a good tension builder. Things are finally starting to heat up!

* * *

Any child under the age of five will tell you that learning to read and write is a pain. One person vastly older than that will tell you exactly the same thing. Nana had tried to learn this fundamental skill for seven years, but in all that time had only progressed a little. This was by no means due to her unintelligence, but more to do with the fact that it is very difficult to teach someone something that most people never even think about. Add to that the fact that Yuka was in full time employment and that Mayu had university work to do, and you've got a situation where it's very difficult to learn.

Nevertheless, Nana tried her hardest. She could recognise simple words, but anything longer than that was extremely difficult. Despite this, she continued to be enthusiastic. She had learned other things as well, like how to cook a proper meal and how to tell the time. _There is still a lot for me to learn. _She thought, gazing out of the hotel window. Miraculously, they had managed to get there on time. The calm blue skies of before had begun to darken, signalling the onset of nightfall.

The room Nana was in was quite small, but Yuka had decided that it would do for tonight. It contained three beds, a desk with drawers, a wardrobe and not much else. Mayu was lying on one of the beds, the light from the computer screen casting a strange pallor over her face. She seemed to be doing something important. Nana slowly walked over to her, careful not to trip over any of the wires that were sprawled around.

"What're you doing?" She asked, lying next to her on the bed. The screen was a mass of text. Random words jumped out at her, but despite her best efforts, Nana couldn't string them together. Mayu turned to her.

"I'm writing an essay. It's for my University course." She turned back and began typing.

Nana knew then that her work must be important, so she rolled off the bed and went back to staring out the window. A light drizzle had started, one that was quickly becoming a downpour, the water droplets beating out a steady rhythm on the roof above. _The weather can be so miserable sometimes. It's like the sky is crying._

The pressure inside Nana's head was a constant reminder of her destination. A confrontation would be inevitable. _I am prepared to fight, if necessary. If it looks like anyone might be in danger._ Even though her last fight had ended horribly, Nana had resolved to preserve her new family no matter what. She heard the door to the room open and close, and turned to look. It was Yuka, looking exhausted but pleased at the same time.

"Well, we managed to get here on time. That's an achievement!" She said, sitting down on the nearest bed. _It was pretty hectic, though. Damn traffic jams. Oh well, that's the price you pay for having an extension. _

In the years since she had left Kaede House, Yuka had become quite the success story. She had channelled her frustration about losing Kouta into her work; she worked twice as hard as her colleagues, but this also made her perpetually tired. _Good thing it's the holidays so I can relax now. _The truth was, Yuka was looking forward to seeing Kouta again. _It will be good to see him again, even if that woman is with him…_Yuka heard a snap, and looked around to see Mayu closing her laptop.

"Finished already, Mayu?" She asked, extending her sitting posture into a reclining one. Mayu nodded.

"Yes, I was just finishing up." Mayu was also looking forward to seeing Kouta again. _And Nyu-I mean Lucy. I don't really understand the details, but I'm still looking forward to this._ Kouta and everyone else had done so much for her, and she wanted to thank him for it.

By now it was dark outside. A gust of wind whistled through the street outside. A dog was barking some distance away, and Nana immediately remembered Wanta. It was a shame they couldn't have brought him along, but their neighbours were looking after him, so she wasn't worried. It looked like it would be a peaceful night.

* * *

The same could not be said for someone else. Miles away, Lucy was once again in the throes of a violent nightmare. These took many forms; sometimes she relived periods of her life, periods where she had killed and destroyed in order to stay alive. Sometimes they were arbitrary, random images of horrifying scenes that often had little relation to anything she had personally done. The worst nightmares were the ones where she had control of herself.

Right now, Lucy was having one of the last ones. She was trapped in a dark room with only one door. As she stood there, the door burst open. Soldiers spilled in, dressed completely in black, their faces obscured by dark masks. _No…Not this again…_ She retreated backwards, knowing that it was useless. Any second now, they would open fire.

The room filled with gunfire, along with random cries of, "Monster!" and, "Freak!". Lucy threw herself into a corner, summoning her vectors to deflect the bullets. _You wont stop until you kill me, will you? It's always the same. _Two of her vectors lashed out, smashing the nearest soldier off his feet and into the wall. He slumped down, a trail of blood following his descent. Another vector shot out, impaling two more people, their spasming hands causing bullets to slam into their comrades.

Using her vectors, Lucy propelled herself forwards, smashing the door off its hinges and bursting out. A long corridor stretched ahead with a staircase at the far end. Behind her, one of the men raised his rifle, preparing to bring the butt down on her head. A second later he was dead, a vector splitting him open from head to foot. _Why…why do I fight? _Lucy began to run, her footsteps echoing on the cold, grey floor. _Will it ever end?_ The remaining soldiers gave chase, sporadic bursts of fire taking chunks out of the walls on either side of her. _Am I doomed to be this way?_

She reached the staircase and began to climb. One of the soldiers caught up with her, levelling his rifle and preparing to fire. He gasped as the rifle was suddenly wrenched from his hands. It turned slowly in the air, then impaled him through the chest, blood spurting everywhere as he fell over backwards. At the top of the stairs there was an iron grating. Lucy pushed this aside and climbed out.

A wide open space stretched out before her. At last, she was out in the open air, although most of her vision was obscured by mist. She took several steps forward, then stopped. A low, grinding noise greeted her ears, and a massive, hulking shape loomed out of the fog. Soon she could make out the massive treads and armoured frame of a tank. It slowed to a crawl, then stopped. Several long, agonising seconds passed. After a short pause, the tank's heavy calibre machine guns opened fire. Lucy dived out of the way, the bullets sending up plumes of dirt where they hit. She began to run, trying to get out of its line of fire. A bullet hit the ground near her feet, and Lucy lost her grip on the floor.

She fell onto the ground. She tried to deflect the bullets but they were too powerful, drilling straight through her vectors. A stray round smashed into her left leg, severing it right below the knee. Lucy screamed out in pain, trying desperately to crawl away. The tank's turret turned, levelling its main gun at her. She heard the loading mechanism turn as a high explosive shell was loaded into the barrel. _It's all over._ The gun fired, a massive plume of superheated gas erupting from the nozzle.

Lucy saw the shell come towards her in slow motion. She was in so much pain her vectors wouldn't work, and she couldn't crawl away in time. A second later, the round hit.

Lucy woke violently, covered in sweat and shivering. Her breathing came in short, shallow gasps. Immediately she felt for her leg. It was still there. _Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream…_She reassured herself again and again. She felt sick and weak. The more people she killed in her dreams, the worse it felt afterwards. She lay back down, trying hard to fall asleep again, and knowing that it was no use.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?" Mayu asked, staring up at the house in front of them. It was early morning once again, and Yuka had driven for the better part of half an hour. They had finally arrived. The pressure in Nana's head was greater than ever. _This is definitely the place._

"Yes, yes, this is it." Yuka replied tiredly. She stepped forward and knocked on the door. They could hear someone moving around inside, then the door slowly opened. Nana froze.

"…Hello. It's been a long time." Said the woman with long, cherry red hair who had opened the door. Her red eyes roamed over them, lingering on Nana for a moment before finally fixing on Yuka. _Now…now the trials begin…_

* * *

(Author's Notes): Things are finally starting to get interesting, arent they? Yet again, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed and gave constructive criticism, I hope you'll do the same for this chapter. I hope I'll be able to update next week, and I think I will, but I'm not making any promises. Anyway, see you all next time! 


	7. Chapter 7: Arrival

(Author's Notes): Well, hello again people. One of my parent's college friends and her son are staying with us for a few weeks, so it's eating into my writing time, but I still managed o update, so it's all good. This chapter is full of irony, and I tried to get each character's point of view in, based on what they do and dont know. Anyway, I tried to up the tension in this chapter, so please tell me if I did well or not.

* * *

Lucy stared straight at Yuka, her bright red eyes seeming to burn into the depths of her soul. Lucy's expression was unreadable, but her eyes seemed to say, _Stay away from him. He's mine. _Yuka narrowed her own eyes, staring right back. Several seconds passed with no movement. Finally, Lucy looked away, turning around and going back inside.

"Come in." She said nonchalantly, not bothering to look and see whether they were following. Nana realised that she had been holding her breath. She let it out, relieved that nothing had happened. _But I still wont let my guard down. _On the outside, Lucy looked nearly the same; her face looked a little older, and she seemed a bit taller than last time. However, Nana could sense that something about her was different, though she couldn't tell exactly what it was. Paranoia getting the better of her, she pushed past Yuka so that she could enter first, so as not to be caught off guard.

Thankfully, her fears appeared to be groundless. Just as Lucy's head was disappearing into a room on the right, Nana heard someone coming down the stairs.

* * *

Kouta had heard the door open from the upstairs bedroom. _They're here already? That was fast_, he thought. He quickly crossed onto the landing and descended the staircase. Lucy had already disappeared, and the three people who were in the hallway were immediately recognisable despite the passage of time.

He immediately recognised Nana, mainly because of her horns. In the past seven years, she had grown into a pretty young woman, sporting shoulder length hair and wearing a long sleeved shirt in order to hide the join in her prosthetic limbs. Kouta noticed that her eyes were fixed on the door Lucy had turned through, and wondered what the matter was. His best guess was that they made each other uneasy, but couldn't discern the reason why. As he stepped off the staircase, he saw that the person behind her was his cousin.

What immediately struck him was her appearance. Yuka looked tired somehow, as if an invisible weight was pulling her down. Like Nana, her hair was longer now, stretching down to the middle of her back. Kouta took a step forwards, intending to say hello, but Yuka noticed him first.

"Hello, Kouta." She said brightly, smiling a little as she moved to greet him. In moving out of the way, Yuka exposed the previously obscured figure of Mayu. She too had grown, but unlike the other two she had kept her hair short. Kouta noted that Wanta wasn't with her, and wondered why, since he had been under the impression that they were inseparable.

"Hi everyone. It's been awhile." He said, speaking to everyone at once.

"Yeah, it's been so long since we were all together like this." Mayu replied, looking round. "Wow, this house is big."

"Apparently it used to belong to a foreigner who had it built here a few years ago, but he lost interest in it and never lived here." Kouta explained. _Good thing we were able to buy it cheap…_He noticed that Nana looked a little odd.

"Are you alright Nana? You look a bit pale." He remarked, wondering if she was ill. His remark seemed to switch her back on again, because she took her eyes off the door opposite and looked at him for the first time.

"Yes…I'm fine." She lied. She studied him, wondering whether he knew that he was living with a psychopath. Nevertheless, Nana was happy to know that he hadn't been hurt by her yet. Now that she was inside, Nana could detect a slight instability in the pressure inside her head, almost as if there was more than one source. _But that's impossible…_

"How much luggage did you bring? I'll help carry it in if you want." Kouta said, craning his neck so that he could see out of the open front door. _He still has the same kindness_, Yuka thought, and was glad that there were parts of him that had stayed the same through all the years.

"We only brought the bare essentials, but since Mayu has university work to do, that amounts to quite a lot." She replied. Kouta smiled and nodded, stepping outside and walking over to the car.

"You can sit in the living room if you want, it's the room on the right. I'll be with you in a minute." He called over his shoulder. Now it seemed they had no choice but to be in the same room as Lucy. Both Yuka and Nana looked a little reserved about this, and Mayu wondered why. Without much hesitation, she pushed the door fully open and stepped inside. Next to the door was a sofa, and it was currently occupied by Lucy. She looked calm, not looking up as they entered.

"Hello Lucy, it's good to see you again." Said Mayu, sitting down on a chair facing her. Lucy looked up, a half hidden expression of surprise disappearing quickly from her face. _I didn't expect her to be so friendly._

"I…It's good to see you again too." She said awkwardly, stumbling over her words. _I seriously need to work on my people skills_, she thought to herself dryly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Yuka and Nana entering cautiously. _Looks like they haven't forgotten. It doesn't matter, though, since I never intended to make them remember anyway. _The main window in the living room looked out over the front of the house, and from this vantage point Lucy could see Kouta bringing their luggage in. _Please hurry_, she thought.

Thankfully, she wasn't to be kept waiting long. Kouta was stronger than his looks credited him for, and in a relatively short amount of time the bags and suitcases that had once been in the boot of the car had been transferred into the hallway. Kouta shut the door and made his way into the living room. He seemed to notice Lucy's discomfort and sat down next to her, for which she was inwardly grateful.

"So, Mayu, I heard you're in university now." He stated, trying to get a conversation going. Mayu looked up and smiled.

"Yes, right now I'm in the middle of a history course." She replied, thinking to herself how much work she still had to do. Still, it was interesting and she enjoyed it, and that was what mattered.

Kouta was about to ask what period of history she was studying, but was interrupted by a loud wailing noise coming from upstairs. He and Lucy sighed simultaneously, Kouta out of exasperation and Lucy out of relief. She got up and left the room, vanishing up the stairs and into the master bedroom. After a few seconds, the sound stopped.

"Oh…That's right. You have children now, don't you…" Yuka said distantly. Nana sat up a little straighter. _So that's what it was…but then-_

"Yes, one six year old boy and a five month old baby girl." Kouta replied. Yuka's face fell, but she managed to wipe the look away quickly. _Why couldn't it be me? I wanted…I wanted to…but I mustn't think like that._

"A little baby girl…how cute! Can we see her?" Mayu asked, looking meaningfully at Kouta. _A little girl, how sweet! I wonder if she looks like her mother or her father?_

"Well…maybe. But watch out, she likes to bite things." Kouta said, wondering if Lucy would want to show their children to everybody.

Nana didn't say anything. _Lucy has…children? But how? I thought Lucy hated humans. Is Kouta different? I don't understand. _Nana knew that she herself was infertile. While she was on the island she had heard the term being applied to her, and one day she had asked her papa what it meant. He had told her that it meant she could never have children. _How is it that someone who enjoys hurting people can be so blessed? And why is it that someone like me is cursed to never have a child? _Nana had never thought of this before, but now it suddenly occurred to her.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by Lucy's sudden reappearance. She crossed the room and sat back down next to Kouta. She held a small child in her arms, whose small arms grabbed out at handfuls of her mothers hair as they watched.

"She's tiny! What's her name?" Mayu exclaimed, leaning over to get a better look.

"This one is Sakura." Lucy replied, surreptitiously trying to disentangle her hair from the infant's tiny hands. Mayu giggled. _She has her mother's hair, but Kouta's eyes._ As she looked, Sakura turned towards her, smiling and showing four very pointy teeth.

Nana looked on, all her previous thoughts washed away as she saw how innocent the small child was. Only the horns on her head served to remind Nana that Sakura truly was Lucy's child.

* * *

(Author's Notes): Well, no heads have been torn off yet...Let's hope things stay that way. Anyhow, your reviews have been very helpful to me, and I know there are some flaws in the story, but I need your help to sort them all out. Basically, keep reviewing, an I can make a better fic because of it. See you (Hopefully) next week! 


	8. Chapter 8: Phone Call

(Author's Notes): Yep, I updated again. For the reviewer who asked, yes I do have an update pattern. I generally update every weekend, but if for any reason I cant do it then, I update on Monday morning. That being said, unfortunately I will not be able to update at all next week because I'm going to an area with no internet connections. Sorry about that, but those sorts of things are inevitable. Now, speaking of reviews, there has been a point raised regularly about Lucy not being able to have children. Let me explain this.

Lucy is not a Silpelit (Infertile diclonius). She was not born due to the vector virus, but from a normal human mother. A genetic mutation lead to the development of her horns and powers. Silpelits like Nana are born through the vector virus. This is when a vector passes through the pinneal gland of a human. Basically, this means their children will be born as Silpelits. Silpelits are like 'worker bees', and Lucy is the 'queen bee'. This is why Yu Kakuzawa tried to rape her. I hope this clears things up.

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, down a small back alley, a figure was sitting on an upturned box, smoking a cigarette. The years had not been kind to him. His actions had made him an outcast, and it had become impossible for him to find honest work. Over the years he had dealt with various crime organisations, each time gaining enough money to live for a few more months before he had to find another one.

"What a shit life." He thought out loud, realising he was down to his last cigarette. His arms had been acting up lately, too. _Fucking joints. What the hell am I doing here? I used to be a professional. _

Unexpectedly, his mobile phone began to vibrate against the inside of his jacket. Stubbing out the remains of his cigarette, the man reached slowly inside and drew it out, flipping open the lid. He put the receiver to his ear. _Who is it this time? _

"Hello. I assume I'm talking to a Mr. Bando." The caller said in a low, calm voice.

"Who wants to know?" Bando replied. The caller knew his name, which usually meant he was about to be hired.

"My name is unimportant, Mr. Bando. If you are interested, I have a proposition to make for you." The voice continued, unfazed by Bando's reaction.

"Really? That's too bad. I'm not interested if I don't know who my employer is." Bando said, preparing to end the call. _Hell if I'm going to work for someone who might screw me over._

"What a pity. We could have repaired your arms for you. But if you're not interested…"

"Wait…What the hell? How the fuck do you know about that?" Bando's finger withdrew from its position above the off button. _What the shit is going on? Who is this guy?_

"Let's just say that our information network is extensive. So extensive, in fact, that when we were looking for you, we also uncovered something else. Something about a certain horned girl, for example."

"You bastards…" Bando breathed. He knew now that he was not dealing with your run of the mill crime gangs. With the mention of Lucy, the caller suddenly had his full attention.

"Call us what you want. Now, do you want to hear what this job entails? Rest assured that it will make use of your…unique skills, shall we say." At the other end of the line, the caller grinned at a private joke.

"Go ahead." Bando replied.

"Good. If our records are correct, approximately seven years ago you encountered a mutant species of human. You also lost both arms in the encounter. Am I right so far?" The caller asked, knowing that he was correct.

"Yeah, you're right. In fact, you're so goddamn fucking right that I'm wondering where you got this information from. I thought it was classified."

"Like I said, we have our methods. Of course, you may be wondering what became of that girl. If I told you she was alive, would you be interested in eliminating her?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Kill her? 'Cause last time, I got beat shitless." Bando asked, remembering what had happened. _That horned bitch…I'll blow your fucking head off yet!_

"Oh, yes. To that end, we'll be providing you with special equipment. We also have a newer model of the prosthetics you're using at the moment, so we'll replace your old ones as well." The caller replied, the calm tone of his voice remaining constant.

"And if anyone gets in the way, I can kill them too?" Bando asked hopefully. _That would be fucking sweet._

"Naturally. We can cover for that."

"Well, this deal is looking good so far. Where do I meet you?" Bando stood up and began to pace. This was his biggest job in seven years and he wanted to get all the details right. _Especially the part when I get to send her to hell where she belongs._

"A meeting wont be necessary, Mr. Bando. Your equipment will be dropped off at a predetermined location." The caller responded, the icy voice now carrying a slight edge, as if impatient.

"Got it. Oh, and Mr. No-name – if I find out this was all a set up, I'll make sure to screw you over so hard, you'll have to shit in a bag for the rest of your life. Of course, it'll be worse if I'm not feeling kind."

"I'll keep that in mind." The caller replied coolly, not sounding worried in the slightest. Bando ended the call and closed his phone. The sky had begun to darken overhead. A grin spread across his face. _Fucking awesome. I cant believe that bitch is still alive, but soon it wont matter. Heh, I'll make you sorry you were ever born for what you did to me._

* * *

The caller heard the line go dead. He was grinning as well. _Men like that are so easy to manipulate. I've sent you a present, Lucy. I hope you like it. Things are finally being set into motion…_ _

* * *

_

"Sakura, huh? What a pretty name. It suits her." Lucy was thankful that attention had been diverted away from her. Still, their meeting could have been infinitely worse.

"Umm…I don't know if I should ask this, but…can I hold her?" Mayu asked awkwardly. Lucy looked at her. _I suppose I don't have a good reason not to._ Carefully, she held Sakura out to Mayu, who took her gently in both hands and held her across her chest. The baby stared up at her, tiny hands grasping at her clothes._ She has her mother's horns. I wonder if it's genetic…_

"Didn't you say you had a son as well?" Asked Yuka, wondering where he was.

"Yeah, but he's visiting a friend at the moment." Kouta replied. Beside him, Lucy shifted slightly. She was glad that Dan had found people he could trust. At first she was terrified that she would see her own traumatic childhood reflected in his, but thankfully that had not happened. _He has something I didn't; a family who supports him and tells him his life has worth._

They drifted into idle conversation, talking about their children, Yuka and Kouta's work and Mayu's time at university. The minutes drifted by, slowly turning into hours, the sun moving subtly across the sky outside. Lucy mostly remained silent, unless she was being addressed directly, in which case she would utter a sentence or two and then fall silent again. Mayu played with Sakura, waving her fingers over the infant's head. The baby giggled and tried to catch them with her tiny hands, but it was no use; they were too far away.

A loud ringing stopped all conversation. Mayu reached for her mobile phone, a look of exasperation coming onto her face. _Does he have to call now? _

"Sorry, I just need to speak to someone." She stated, about to stand up before she realised that Sakura was still there. She looked around, and her eyes rested on Nana.

"Can you hold her for a second?" She asked. Not waiting for a response, she placed the child on Nana's lap and went out into the hallway to answer her call. Nana froze. _This is…Lucy's child. _Sakura happily grabbed upwards, catching a clump of Nana's hair in her tiny fists. She did this often with mummy's hair, trying to see how much she could get before it was pulled away from her. This hair was different, though. It was softer and more flexible. She tugged.

"Ouch!" Nana exclaimed, her head jerking downwards a little. Kouta laughed.

"That's a sign that she likes you." He stated, getting up to help disentangle the mass of Nana, hair and Sakura from each other. Deprived of her source of entertainment, Sakura did what all baby's do best. She went to sleep. Sensing Nana's awkwardness and exploiting the opportunity, Kouta took Sakura off Nana's lap and returned her to Lucy.

Just then, Mayu re-entered the room, switching off her phone as she did so. She looked a little upset. Kouta wondered what had happened, and was about to ask what the matter was, but Lucy got there first.

"Are you alright?" She asked, less awkwardly than she had expected. Mayu nodded and looked away. _What happened with that phone call? _She wondered. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't seem like good news. She realised that it was only about an hour before lunch, and got up to go to the kitchen.

"I need to start…" She whispered, leaving the room before the sentence could finish. Kouta watched her leave, his eyes following her until she was around the corner and out of sight. Nana fidgeted a little.

"Um…Excuse me, but could you tell me where the bathroom is?" She asked.

"Well, there's one downstairs but it's not connected to a water supply. If you go upstairs, it's the first room on the left." Kouta answered.

"Thank you." Nana got up and left the room. However, instead of going up the stairs, she walked past them and entered the next door along; the kitchen. She silently closed the door behind her. Lucy was standing on the other side of the room, a small table separating her from Nana. She began to turn just as Nana started to speak.

"We need to talk, Lucy." She stated, and her words seemed to echo around the small room.

* * *

(Author's Notes): Well, I finally decided to get off the fence and introduce some villains, if you can call them that. I have an idea of how I want to end this fic already, and rest assured that Lucy wont be going homicidal again. How will there be any action, then? Wait and see. 


	9. Chapter 9: Creeping Shadows

(Author's Notes): Well, after an ungodly delay, chapter nine is up. Sorry to keep you guys waiting.

* * *

Time seemed to stand still. The two people in the room might as well have been statues. Ever so slowly, Lucy's head turned, bringing Nana's face into view. She had hoped that this conversation could have been delayed longer, but seeing Nana's expression, she came to realise its inevitability.

"What about?" She asked bluntly, shattering the tension in the air with all the finesse of a sledgehammer smashing through pond ice.

"Lots of things. Like why the hell you're still here, and what your intentions are." Nana replied, equally bluntly. Lucy's eyelids contracted, narrowing down so that the iris expanded. They bore a horrible resemblance to black holes, seemingly sucking in everything.

"I'm here because I was wanted. I do not intend to do anything. Satisfied?" Lucy stated coldly. It was odd; she felt completely indifferent to Nana's hostility. She certainly harboured none of her own. _Whether it appears will depend on what happens next._

"The hell you don't." Nana said with venom. _I seriously doubt that Lucy is the kind of person to just sit down and do nothing. She has to be up to something. _

"You keep referring to hell, but have you ever been there? Hell isn't being shot at, or having your limbs torn off. Hell is when you are judged by other people. I don't expect you to believe what I'm saying, but I'll say it anyway because nobody else will ever hear it." Lucy paused to gather her thoughts. _How do I explain?_ "I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want people to hate me anymore, even though it is an impossible wish…All I want to do is be with the man I love. It's all I have ever wanted. Please, just leave me alone."

At that moment, Lucy's emotional barrier cracked. The tears began leaking out, despite her best efforts to stop them. It seemed that no matter what happened, she was doomed to be reminded of her crimes and failures for the rest of her life. She turned away to hide her distress, but it was too late. Nana had already seen her. _Is Lucy…crying? Why? Is she trying to lure me into a false sense of security? She seems genuinely upset…Something serious must have happened._

"And who exactly are you being judged by?" Nana asked, the edge in her voice lessening a little. Lucy slowly turned back around. The tears were gone now, but their trails had marked her pale complexion, making her face seem scarred. Slowly, she raised her hand, the index finger pointing at her own chest.

"Myself."

* * *

"I'm sorry…please, could you excuse me for a moment?" Mayu said abruptly.

"Mayu seems a little odd." Kouta remarked after she had left the room. Yuka sighed. _Odd isn't the half of it._

"It's all very complicated. Mayu puts on a brave face, but she's been having a lot of problems recently." Yuka's face darkened. _I bet that phone call was from the hospital…_

"What's the problem? Or shouldn't I ask?" Kouta inquired. He wanted to help, but didn't know if it was really any of his business.

"It's all very complicated," Yuka began. She paused for a moment, then went on, "It's to do with Mayu's boyfriend. They met at the induction day and have been dating ever since. He's a semi-professional track runner, but he comes from a poor family, so he pays for his own education. Anyway, during a routine medical test, the doctor found a large growth under his kneecap. Apparently, it might be cancerous." She finished, her face darkening a little.

"That's bad…" Kouta's voice trailed off, as Yuka interrupted him.

"That's only the half of it. Mayu was devastated, obviously, and when his sponsors heard about it, they stopped funding him. To cut a long story short, he cant pay his university fees anymore, so Mayu decided to give him the money he needed. So now she's juggling jobs, money and education in one hand and her boyfriend, worry and stress in the other. Naturally, the news that he might have his leg amputated was depressing enough for both of them. I expect that phone call earlier was something to do with that."

Kouta sat silently, thinking. _If Yuka hadn't told me this, I would never have known._ It was just like Mayu. Even when they first met her, she hadn't been the sort of person to ask for help. He hoped that everything would work out for them.

"You know…" Yuka started to say, but trailed off suddenly. Kouta looked at her questioningly.

"Hm? What is it?" He asked. Yuka shifted a little in her seat, looking down at the ground.

"Someone at work…asked me out a couple of days ago." She blushed and looked away. Kouta frowned. _Why is she telling me this?_

"Um…I suppose it's nothing to do with you, but…what do you think I should do?" She asked, avoiding his eyes. The person in question was one of her colleagues, someone she had known since she started working. _He's not a bad person, and I'd feel really bad about saying no to him. Plus, it would make things really awkward._

"Well…I wouldn't really know. It's not really my decision, but…if you think he's a good person, you should at least give it a try. Because otherwise, you'll never know." He replied, faltering a little. Yuka smiled a little. On the one hand, she was sad, because that was the final, decisive proof that Kouta would never see her as anything more than a cousin. But on the other, he had just confirmed what she had thought.

At that moment, Nana returned. She looked a little strange, as if she was deep in thought. She had passed Mayu in the hallway, and noted that she was on the phone. She always seemed to be on the phone these days…

Yuka's assumption had been correct. The phone call had been from the hospital, and the news it brought was not encouraging. They had informed her that they were preparing to scan the tumour to see if it was benign or malignant. Unfortunately, it had developed around some key nerves, so attempting to remove it might mean partial or total paralysis from the knee downwards.

She dialled his number, but there was no response. She dialled it again, and met with the same results. Mayu stopped, and forced herself to calm down. It was no use worrying. _If it was really serious, he would have called me. I have to calm down. _She took a deep breath, then prepared to dial a third time, just to make sure.

* * *

It had started raining outside. Large black storm clouds hung overhead, with the occasional flash of lightning. The sheets of rain worked to Bando's advantage, driving would-be bystanders away from the site where his equipment had been placed. It had been located in the sewer systems, under a conveniently placed manhole cover. He sat there now, opening the cases to see what he had been given. He held his phone up to his left ear.

"Hey, what the hell is this? All of this stuff is regular equipment. Where the hell are the fucking anti-tank weapons?" He spat into the receiver. The cool, collected voice answered him with infinite patience.

"Don't worry, Mr. Bando. I assure you, these weapons contain state of the art technology. Instead of looking at the guns, why don't you look at the ammunition?"

He did so. Seconds later he was back on the phone.

"You fucking…Are you serious? Chemically tipped? With what?"

"A special compound we developed. I assure you, it is one hundred percent effective against those invisible arms that stop most regular rounds." The voice replied, sounding almost amused. Bando grinned.

"Ha. You're shitting me. I cant wait to see the look on her face." He smirked and closed the weapons case.

"We've also left you replacement prosthetics. It should be easy enough to attach them, and they can handle weights far beyond human muscles. That includes gun recoil."

"Excellent." Bando rested his back against the tunnel walls, looking up at the manhole above him. The next couple of days would be fun.

* * *

In an unknown location on the other end of the line, the speaker ended the call. He turned to the figure on his left. She sat in a wheelchair, gazing up at the ceiling with an absent expression. She was the last of the numbered units; the rest had succumbed long ago. The speaker smiled, a cold, hard expression on his face. Finally, it was time to act.

* * *

(Author's Notes): Sorry to all MayuxNana fans out there, but I dont really support that pairing...sorry! Anyhow, just to reassure everyone, I intend for this fic to continue for several more chapters, so dont worry! See you next weekend! 


	10. Chapter 10: Nightfall

(Author's Notes): I worked long and hard on this chapter, and I think it's the best one yet. I try to make them as long as possible, but I run out of ideas if I put too much into one chapter. I know this is getting old, but thank you so much for everyone who keeps reviewing. I've lost count of the number of times I didnt know what to write next, then read a review which inspired me to write more. Oh, and another thank you for everyone who added me to their favourite author's list, it's a real honour to know that you care. :)

* * *

It is no surprise that darkness and shadow incite fear. Darkness conceals and entraps, hiding whatever might be lurking within. The gloom inside the dusty lab was nearly toxic, clinging to the walls, floor and ceiling like a leech attaching itself to its prey. The only light came from a single computer screen, its bluish white hue obliterating the murky blackness. The lab assistant working at the computer typed furiously, beads of sweat trickling down his face. He was the last one. All the rest were dead, and soon he would be too.

It had been no easy task, hacking into the government's database. He had deleted a few records here, altered a few lines there, all the while avoiding the firewalls and security probes that periodically swept the system. His job finally finished, the assistant hit the enter key, leaned back in his chair and admired his work. Nobody would ever know he had been there. Even as he thought this, he knew that by the time the sun came up he would be dead. He accepted this, knowing that it was a light punishment considering the things he had done in the past.

The lab was silent except for a slow dripping of water from somewhere above., probably from a cracked water line. It didn't matter now. The sprawling complex had long since outlived its usefulness. The Director had arranged for a little 'accident' to occur six hours from now, where a burst fuel pipe would incinerate the building and destroy all evidence of the activities that had gone on there. Abruptly, footsteps began to echo along the floor, drawing nearer and nearer. It looked like it was finally time for the last phase of the operation.

"Is it done?" It was a cold, hard voice, straight to the point and accepting no questions.

"Yes, Director. All the files you asked about have been erased or altered. But…"

"But what? Is there a problem, Mr. Lab Assistant? Not that I care."

"…Why was there already a profile for the original already on there? I thought…"

"You thought wrong. I had that profile created seven years ago, so that nobody would become suspicious. If you're finished asking questions, it's time for the last stage to begin." The Director's small, beady eyes were focused on the back of the assistant's head. Slowly, he raised the object in his right hand.

A gun was cocked. Oddly, the lab assistant didn't feel afraid. His own desire for knowledge had led to this. The man standing behind him smiled, a cold and sadistic glee coming into his eyes. The gun barked, jumping a little in the Director's hands. Blood splattered over the computer screen as the lab assistant slumped over the keyboard. It was a regrettable loss, since he had been a valuable asset to the Director's efforts, but in the end all of his workers had ended up the same way.

Soon, his dream would become reality. Who cared what sacrifices he had to make to get there? The end justified the means. Unable to contain himself, the Director began to laugh hysterically, the small fragments of insanity inside his mind slowly merging like a tumour. With a great effort, the Director stopped himself. He was old, and there was precious little time left before his body gave out. Breathing slowly and heavily, he turned away from the scene of his murder and walked away. It was time to retrieve the last Number, as she was the lynch pin of the entire operation. _Yes, her 'ability' will be essential to me when that stupid mercenary fails in his mission._

* * *

Six hours later, a massive explosion ripped through the infrastructure of the facility, tearing it apart from the inside out. Research notes, data sheets and lab records were all consumed in the fiery blaze, leaving no traces of the activities that had gone on there. News Stations would later report that a run down laboratory on the edge of Kamakura had caught fire due to a ruptured fuel line, and that luckily, it had been deserted at the time. The authorities would never realise that the only victim had died several hours previously, as his body was never found. Neither would they realise that the fuel pipe had been ignited by state of the art explosives. The entire incident would be written off as just another unfortunate accident.

* * *

The sun slowly fell in the sky, turning the day into evening, and evening into night. By the time it came to go to sleep, everyone was exhausted. The first day had been awkward, with a lot of pauses and people avoiding each other's eyes, but slowly the barriers were beginning to break. As Kouta lay on his side in bed and thought about the previous hours, he came to realise just how much everything had changed. _Yuka is working now, and Mayu has a boyfriend…That's a surprise, considering how shy she used to be._ Before he could ponder these thoughts any further, he felt two arms wind their way around his shoulders, and a warm mass attached itself to his back.

"Is that you, Lucy?" He mumbled, not opening his eyes. The arms squeezed in confirmation. Kouta sighed and opened his eyes, rolling over so that he could look at her. The only light source was a small reading lamp by the bedside. Half of Lucy's face was in darkness, but the half he could see looked pained.

"Hold me…" She whispered, resting her head on his chest. Kouta put his arms around her shoulders, drawing her slowly up so that her head lay under the crook of his neck. She wormed her way deeper into his warmth, both her hands gripping his shoulders to lock herself into position.

"What's the matter?" He asked. Lucy rarely actively sought affection, even from him. When she did it was usually after a nightmare. She was obviously upset about something.

"I'm tired." She lied, trying to make it sound convincing. _I'm going to have bad dreams again tonight, I can feel it. _She pressed herself against him, taking comfort from knowing that he was there for her. Kouta seemed to know that she wasn't being truthful and reached down, stroking her upturned cheek softly.

"Then I wont ask." He reassured her gently, using his other hand to reach across and turn off the light. Lucy remained where she was, trying desperately to stay awake. If she could, it would be a double blessing, since she could remain in Kouta's embrace whilst avoiding the horrors that plagued her sleeping hours.

Outside, the wind picked up. It grew from a silent moan to a long, low whistle, surging softly through the streets and buildings nearby. Street lamps flickered on and off, the few people still wandering along the pavement speeding up in order to avoid the wind chill factor. It seemed as if the weather itself was afraid, eager to abandon the cursed city, almost as if it knew that the area below it would soon become a battleground once again. The stage was set. All the pieces were in place. The only thing left was for the first move to be played, and it soon would be.

* * *

She sat in darkness, waiting, listening. She could no longer walk due to extensive brain damage. She had no name, only a number. If one were to look at her, lolling absently in her wheelchair, one would wonder whether she was truly self aware. But she was, one tiny spark of consciousness fighting back against the all consuming nothingness. Blood poured from two open wounds on her head, the sticky red liquid matting her hair and flowing down her neck and over her back. If the girl sitting in the wheelchair felt any pain, she didn't show it.

Slow footsteps reached the girl's ears. She responded slightly, turning her hair a fraction, one pupil drifting lazily across to see whatever it was that approached her. A harsh white light clicked on overhead, but her blinking reflex was slow. The man standing above her was old, with white hair adorning his hard, weathered face. He stared down at her through beady eyes. Slowly, the girl felt her eyes close, the hypodermic needle in her right arm releasing a dose of tranquilising fluid. The Director watched her coldly.

"It's time." He stated bluntly, almost arrogantly. He grinned maniacally, to the point where the skin stretched over his face became contorted like a skull.

"It's time for you to lead me to your Queen."

* * *

(Author's Notes): It's been slow paced up till now, but after this things will start to move more quickly. After this story is over, you might want to check out the fics by people like Warui Usagi, Fox of Anubis and Fresh Meat, even though the latter is no longer around. They are all excellent writers and I reccomend them to everyone. Please R&R as usual, and expect an update next week at the usual time, unless I die before then or something. 


	11. Chapter 11: Enigma

(Author's Notes): Another week, another chapter...I'm amazed at how this story has progressed. As I mentioned on the Second Heartbeat forums a while ago, it seems almost to have a will of its own. Not that that's a bad thing...Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

As it turned out, Lucy failed to stay awake that night. The previous day had tired her, and sleep claimed her quickly despite her best efforts to escape it. As usual, she quickly found herself battling armies of nameless, faceless figures who wanted nothing more than to tear her limb from limb. This time she was in a narrow, misty back alley, and soldiers were closing in one her from both sides. Lucy backed against one of the alley walls, watching as the soldiers edged closer. _Why must it always be this way…_

But then something odd happened. Time seemed to slow down. The soldiers slowed their pace, eventually stopping completely, some of them in mid step. The very air itself seemed to freeze up and solidify, and Lucy found herself unable to move. As she looked on, the shadowy figures began disappearing, slowly dissolving into nothingness. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the alleyway was also vanishing. Soon the landscape had completely degenerated, leaving Lucy standing on a grey surface that stretched as far as her eyes could see.

Abruptly, the time freeze ended. Lucy pivoted forwards a little, just managing to stop herself from falling over. _Where am I? This has never happened before._ She took several steps forwards, her footsteps echoing strangely off the strange grey floor. Everywhere she looked, the greyness stretched onwards, seemingly into infinity. There were no landmarks anywhere, and the air was still and silent. Lucy began to walk, trying to find some vestige of familiar ground.

"…re…ou…"

Lucy stopped dead. A strange sound had penetrated the silence. A whispering voice sounded around her, cutting through the air like a cleaver through soft meat.

"Whe…are yo…"

The voice sounded again. A sudden chill descended over the grey landscape, and a slight breeze swept over the area, lifting Lucy's hair a little. She turned, trying to discern where the voice had originated from. But the only thing she saw was the empty, desolate, monochrome landscape stretching out in front of her.

"Where…are…you…"

The voice was unbroken now, its question sounding out across the flat landscape. Lucy shivered. _All of this is unnatural. Who…Who is interfering with my dreams?_ The voice had become louder, and now it had a definite direction. The breeze that had started earlier intensified, blowing her hair off her face so that it whipped around behind her. She set off towards the voice, battling against the wind. Lucy's vision began to grow hazy, a thick fog slowly materialising out of nowhere around her. _What the hell is going on?_

"Where are you?"

She was close now. The voice sounded oddly familiar, like someone she knew. Lucy tried to remember who it was, but with all the haze and wind taking up most of her concentration, she failed to recollect. She could just make out a faint, shadowy silhouette near the edges of her vision. Lucy reached out, trying to tough whoever it was, but it was no use; whoever it was, the figure was too far away. The wind intensified again, preventing Lucy from moving any further. The shadowy unknown slowly turned to her.

"There you are."

Without warning, the haze and wind fell away. The cold grey floor buckled and shook beneath her, knocking Lucy to the ground. The landscape began to take form, moulding itself into irregular shapes which rose with infinite slowness out of the ground. The texture of the area was changing too; the floor became jagged and black, like tarmac, and the sky turned from a dreary grey to the bluish white of early morning. The silence ended abruptly, replaced by the sound of water somewhere below.

Eventually the churning ceased, and Lucy was able to sit up, supporting herself with her elbows. The area had changed completely. The endless grey had been replaced by a single, massive structure. A gigantic bridge stretched in front of her, flanked on either side by a vast stretch of water. Lucy picked herself up off the floor, noticing that the bridge, though impressive, was incomplete. Massive boxes full of construction equipment littered the area, and a network of girders and scaffolding was wrapped round the bridge like a spider web.

She slowly began to walk towards the hulking structure, watching the area closely for any sings of movement. Eventually the sound of her footsteps changed to a harsh tap, indicating that she was now walking on metal. She walked over to the side of the bridge and peered over the railings. The water below was a deep blue, sluggishly sloshing against the reinforced concrete supports that held the bridge above the water. It was strangely calming for Lucy, so much so that she wasn't startled when the voice spoke again.

"It's big, isn't it?" The voice said. Without the howling sound of the wind, Lucy now realised that the voice was female.

"Where am I?" She asked warily, pinpointing the voice's location as being somewhere behind her.

"The bay, silly."

"Sagami Bay?" It had to be. There were no other major bays nearby. But what was a bridge doing in a bay?

"Yes. Aren't the waves pretty? Soon, I'll get to see them for real."

"Who are you?" Lucy was becoming frustrated. She knew that voice, she was certain, but it just wouldn't come to her.

"Don't you remember? If you come to this bridge, you'll find me. We can be together again, just like before…" The voice trailed off.

The sun was slowly rising behind Lucy, but since it was a dream she felt no heat. She was confused now; the voice wasn't making any sense. She took a deep breath, then turner around. Instantly the bright light blinded her, but she could just make out a short, girlish figure standing on the opposite side. Her features were obscured by the light, and Lucy squinted in order to get a better look at her.

"If you don't find me quickly, he'll be nasty to me again."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Lucy replied, shielding her eyes from the glare. But there was no response. Suddenly she realised that everything was becoming very blurry. The bridge she was on began to collapse in on itself, disintegrating slowly into nothingness. The figure in front of her vanished, and Lucy realised that she was waking up.

* * *

She woke with a start, sitting up immediately. Slowly, she collapsed back into bed, a cold sweat coating her face and neck. Something, somewhere, had interfered with her dreams. _But that's not possible…is it? _Lucy raised her hand to her head to wipe the sweat away, and that was when she noticed it. It was so faint, so distant that she hadn't even realised it was there before now. But, faint though it was, the ever present pressure on the inside of her skull was there. _But that's…Wait. Stranger things have happened tonight. _It seemed that Lucy's family and Nana were not the only ones of their kind still out there.

It was still dark outside. Lucy turned on the reading lamp and peered at the clock on the wall. With a sudden shock she realised that she had only been asleep for about an hour. She turned, noticing Kouta's sleeping form next to her. _Sagami Bay…Could I make it back here? It's not far…_ Making up her mind, Lucy got out of bed. Maybe, just maybe, if she was lucky, it would turn out to be just another bad dream.

* * *

Bando flipped open his phone, cutting off the sound mid ring. In the light of the luminous screen, five words could be seen.

"She'll be at Sagami Bridge."

That was the signal he had been waiting for. Grinning sadistically, Bando grabbed the container next to him and set off towards the bay area. _Payback's gonna be one hell of a party, bitch. You'd better fucking believe it._

* * *

(Author's Notes): This chapter may seem a little weird, but dont worry; it'll all make sense in the end. Next week's chapter is going to move things on a little quicker hopefully. 


	12. Chapter 12: The Bridge

(Author's Note): Here it is, Chapter 12. Hopefully people are still reading this...Cause it isnt over yet! I'm wrestling with my time at the moment, and I honestly didnt think this chapter would be done in time, but luckily it was. You guys know the drill by now, R&R and all that. But I notice some people have been neglecting to do so lately...most notable people on the Second Heartbeat forums. Still, there'll be at least two or three more chapters before I decide to finish.

* * *

It was cold outside. The air lay silent and still, the wind having fled the scene long ago. In the blackness of night, the city seemed like a ghost town. It had been no problem for Lucy to slip out of the house unnoticed. It was nearly midnight, and that gave her several hours to get down to the docklands and back again without anyone noticing. She shivered. Lucy had changed into a black shirt with matching trousers and sweater, making her form indistinct against the dark backdrop. Even so, she still felt the cold and hurried on.

To get to the docks, Lucy had to pass through the commercial district first. Most of the shops would still be open there, and there would be more people around as well. Lucy gritted her teeth and moved on. It was frustrating, but since it was the fastest route to her destination, she had to chance it. The street she was in now was dark, but as soon as she turned the corner she would be in the shopping centre, with its rows of open fronted stores and wide neon signs. Lucy looked down at the digital watch on her left wrist. Its luminous screen read 11: 55. _I should easily make it back, even if I walk. It's only about twenty minutes from here._ She increased her pace just to be sure, little knowing what trouble would be awaiting her when she arrived.

* * *

Bando was already at the bridge. He had ignored the hazard tape covering the entrance and was now sat on a box full of construction equipment, smoking. If he noticed the cold night air, he didn't show it. His entire mind was focussed on how he was going to kill his opponent. Over the past seven years, the only people he had murdered had been lowlifes, random gutter filth. Few had offered even the slightest resistance. Now, though, he finally had another chance to fight someone who could actually fight back.

Impatiently, Bando stubbed out his cigarette and opened the box containing his weapons next to him. Inside was an MP5, complete with a suppressor and retractable stock, as well as eight spare magazines. Next to it was a Browning 9mm, similarly equipped with a silencer. More than enough to kill anything that moved. Below the bridge the waves crashed against the titanium supports, seeming to become more violent with every minute that passed. Overhead, the clouds parted, revealing a perfect crescent moon.

Under its soft glow, Bando made a final check. His phone was off, so there would be no distractions. His position was such that he could only be seen if the bridge was viewed from a certain angle; otherwise, the many crates dotting the area concealed him. Through a gap in two such crates he had a perfect view of the bridge opening. The surprise attack would be total. _Now I just need to wait. Hell, for this mission, the pay is just a bonus. The simple pleasure of killing that bitch would have been fine for me._ Bando released the straps holding the MP5 down and loaded a magazine into the bottom. This was going to be fun...

* * *

Unlike the Bando and Lucy, the Director was in no hurry. If things planned out as he was hoping they would, he could afford to take his time. His tracking system was working flawlessly; he had to admit that, despite her flaws, the sole surviving Number was becoming a useful tool for him. The only problem was that he had been forced to take her with him, since he had yet to develop a portable version of the tracker. She sat there now next to him, immobile in her wheelchair, eyes clouded and unseeing. Her survival had been impressive all those years ago, and that had made her a prime subject for the Director's experiments. Her near-fatal injuries had left her severely brain damaged, but that only made the situation better; people with brain damage put up less resistance anyway.

The Director had taken the in-born ability of their species to detect each other through brain signals and vastly condensed it, using the girl next to him as a template. Through intensive therapy, he had practically eradicated every other signal except Lucy's from the girl's brain. After that it had been relatively easy to make a device capable of reading these signals and showing their point of origin. The device was attached to the back of the wheelchair and could be folded up to avoid suspicion. The Director was amused at how nobody had suspected him; on the contrary, people had asked him if he had needed any help! No, he would say, it was just his granddaughter who had cerebral palsy. He was taking her to the doctor for a brain scan, he would explain, and they would nod sympathetically and slowly walk away.

The Director scrutinised the computer screen, noting that Lucy had made her way through the commercial district and would be approaching the bridge soon. He smiled to himself. If he was right, the stupid mercenary would stall Lucy long enough for him to get there. Owing to the fact that he still needed to push the wheelchair, it would take him longer to get there, so he decided to start moving now.

The girl in the wheelchair sat silently. Her perception of the situation was dim, and most of her senses were severely impaired. A hazy picture of a dark street greeted her eyes. Disjointed thoughts forced their way into her mind, a last spark of sanity and sentience launching a heroic assault on the blankness that was her mind.

_Street...Outside. Outside cold. People. People...walking by. Ev...ever...everyone. Where...is...everyone...? What...am...I...doing...? Dark. Dark is scary. Her...I can...feel her...Is it?...No...But...then...Where is...t..tw..._

Abruptly, her thought process slowed to a crawl. Her eyes dimmed, and the spark of consciousness retreated into the dark depths of her mind. Once again, it had failed to assert itself.

* * *

Lucy exited the shopping zone, breathing an internal sigh of relief that it was over. The hustle and bustle of people in there was not to her tastes. There were only a few more roads to cross until she entered the docklands. Even from here, Lucy could actually hear the gentle rolling of the waves and taste the sea salt. The pressure in her temples was growing stronger, and Lucy began to wonder whether this really was a good idea. _Should I be doing this? It's not any of my concern. Going off on a whim like this…I'm not acting like my usual self._

She shook her head and began to move on. _Well, if there's nothing there, it wont matter and I can go back home without anyone missing me. _The path ahead was illuminated by various street lamps. The sodium powered lights cast a pale orange glow over the area, causing all the objects in the vicinity to appear discoloured. Lucy walked swiftly under them, increasing her pace so that she didn't appear in the light for too long. Once again, she looked down at her watch. The screen read 12: 09. Earlier than she had expected.

As Lucy came ever closer to the docks, the sound of crashing waves became louder and more pronounced. Soon the terraced apartments and small shops were left behind, and Lucy found herself in a different world. A world of large industrial warehouses and mechanical cranes for loading heavy duty boxes and crates onto ships. The bridge was in plain view now, a little way to her right. It was just like in her dream, with its large metal girders and masses of construction equipment scattered everywhere. In the pale moonlight, it looked more like a skeleton than anything else. The pressure in her temples became still greater.

Gingerly, Lucy approached the bridge. An odd sense of dread washed over her, as if some sixth sense was warning her that nothing good would come of investigating the metal structure in front of her. Still she walked on, some uncanny sense of curiosity willing her forwards. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy thought she saw something move amongst the boxes on the bridge, but the next second, there was nothing but stillness. More cautious now, Lucy finally reached the hazard tape strung across the entrance of the bridge. Now that she was here, Lucy could see that the bridge actually connected two separate parts of the dock together. Once completed, it would probably act as some kind of shortcut for goods and supplies.

Ignoring the sign overhead that read, 'Warning – Unsafe!', Lucy ducked under the tape and looked around. Everything was silent. She walked forwards slowly, but there was no sign of the girl in her dream or anyone else. Lucy was about to turn back when she felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. _I've felt this before...I've felt this whenever-_ An animalistic impulse taking over her, Lucy leaped to the side as a bullet smashed into the tarmac where she had once been. _–Whenever I've been attacked!_

* * *

The attack had been perfect. Bando was astonished that Lucy had been able to dodge his first round, but that was only the beginning. _If I went fully automatic, I could probably kill her right now. _Bando's finger wavered towards the automatic fire setting. _But where's the fun in that? _He grinned sadistically, then stood up on top of the crate he had been lying on. From his higher position he could see Lucy picking herself off the floor.

"Hey, bitch. Long time no fucking see." His voice was laced with a hatred and thirst for revenge seven years in the making. Instantly Lucy's eyes flashed upwards. A look of recognition passed over her features. Without waiting for a response, Bando raised his MP5 and fired off a five round burst, the sound muffled by the suppressor. Below him, he saw Lucy disappear out of sight as the bullets bit large chunks out of the tarmac below. Jumping down from his vantage point, Bando began making his way over to where she had been. The hunt was on...

* * *

(Author's Notes): ...How was it...? I think I've said it before, but the next few chapters will start to tie up all the loose ends. Chapter 13 will be where the real action starts. 


	13. Chapter 13: Midnight Moon

(Author's Notes): First off, SORRY SORRY SORRY for missing my update, but I've had some problems at home. To make up for it, this chapter is twice as long as the others, and I think you will like it very much. :)

* * *

The adrenaline washed over Bando like a tsunami. At long last, he was in his element again. The boxes and crates strewn around the area transformed the wide bridge into a veritable maze, giving the place a claustrophobic atmosphere. To Bando, that simply made the chase that much more exciting. Ducking around a corner, Bando came to the place where he had first fired at Lucy. There were bullet marks in the ground, and irregular pieces of tarmac were scattered everywhere, but there was no blood. _Doesn't matter. It'll flow soon enough._ He stiffened, taking several steps backward and pressing his back against a large container. This battle would be determined by who made the first move, but even then he held a hidden ace; the bullets he was using could pass through vectors.

Bando crept slowly towards the edge of the box, listening out for any sound, either of breathing or of footsteps. Hearing nothing, he slowly craned his neck around the edge. Nothing. There was nobody there. _Come out, come out, wherever you are…_ He thought, grinning. Twice. Twice he had been humiliated by this horned freak. But now it was his turn. Bando levelled his MP5 and slowly walked around the edge of the crate, still on the alert, looking for anything out of place. Still nothing. But that didn't matter. He had plenty of time. Bando could afford to wait for her to make a mistake.

* * *

Lucy ran through the labyrinth of crates and containers, trying to put as much distance between herself and her attacker as possible. She was more confused than anything else. _Why...Why is he here? Didn't I..._Lucy thought back. The beach. A man on the floor, bleeding from both eyes and one arm. Her eyes widened. _It's him! But how did he know..._She stopped running, gasping for breath. It was impossible. This couldn't be happening. _Is this...one of my nightmares? _But she knew that was too much to hope for. She could deal with the ghosts in nightmares, but now a real ghost had come back from her past to hunt her down.

With an immense effort, Lucy calmed her ragged breathing. _It's okay. I still have an advantage. Guns are not as effective in closed spaces._ She was surprised at how quickly her mind had reacted to the situation. The thought depressed her. _I guess...when you've done it once, you never forget how to kill someone. But that is something I will never do again._ Lucy knew what she had to do now. Escape. However, it seemed that even something so simple as running away was not an option anymore.

She realised with a sickening feeling that Bando's plan had worked like clockwork. She had run away from him. Away from the bridge entrance. He had cut off her quickest escape route perfectly. _In short, I'm trapped here._ _The only way out is back the way I came...through him._ _That means-_ Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the opposite side of the crate she was leaning against. Lucy froze. A sense of morbid fascination overcoming her, she slowly turned her head to the side. Against the shadows cast by the containers towering around her, a patch of darker blackness emerged.

A brief flash illuminated the surrounding area. Everything seemed to slow down. Lucy jumped sideways as several bullets slammed into the container she had been next to moments earlier. An animal instinct of survival taking over, Lucy rolled behind a set of crates that served as a junction and crouched, her form concealed by one of the sliding doors of an open container. _If it hadn't been for the muzzle flash...I'd probably be dead._

* * *

Bando clicked his tongue in irritation, trying to see where his quarry had gone. It was both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. _How long is she going to lead me on this ridiculous chase? _The shadows of Lucy's last location were still thick. _Better safe than sorry! _He fired off a round into the blackness just to be sure. No response. Satisfied, he slowly started to walk forwards, his footsteps echoing in the silence of night. Now that he was closer, he could see the bullet holes in the boxes of equipment. Still no blood. Bando examined them for a moment, then half turned. The crates in this area formed a structure that looked a little bit like a T-Junction, with one open crate in the middle. It's sliding door was partially ajar.

To Bando, with his impaired judgement due to bloodlust and adrenaline, the situation made perfect sense. Lucy, having been startled by his attack, had opened the crate and hidden inside it, waiting to launch a surprise attack when his back was turned. Bando smiled. _You cant fool me, bitch._ He emptied the remainder of his current magazine into the opening, the sound of bullets ricocheting off the metal interior making a noise reminiscent of a hailstorm. _Try surviving that one!_

But Bando had failed to take one fact into account; Lucy wasn't that stupid. She had never been in the container in the first place. If he had bothered to look closely, Bando would have seen that the box had been open for some time – the rust coating the hinges of the door frame should have been enough. Crouched behind said door, Lucy realised that now was her chance to escape, whilst Bando had his guard down. Four vectors shot out, grasping the door frame and wrenching it free, accompanied by a terrible sound of grinding metal. As if in slow motion, Bando turned, his eyes showing a look of confused incomprehension as the metal frame smashed into him, knocking him over backwards.

Bando's head hit the floor hard. He felt his weapon leave his hands as a warm trail of red liquid made its way down his face. He saw a flicker of red hair out of the corner of his eye as Lucy darted out from where she had been hiding and ran off to the left. Swearing violently, Bando pushed himself up off the ground, wiping the blood out of his eyes as he searched wildly for his main weapon. Finding it, he loaded a new magazine before setting off at a run. _I'll put a bullet in that freak even if it kills me! _He could still hear her footsteps and he followed them, breathing heavily, the cold night air causing his breath to appear like clouds of steam.

The chase was like an eerie dance. The wind, long since absent from the scene, abruptly returned with a vengeance, whipping up the waves below into a fury. The moon shone overhead, its pale light painting the scene in a surreal glow. On the bridge itself, Bando was catching up with Lucy. The crates had thinned, and were no longer stacked on top of each other. The maze disintegrated into randomly assorted containers interspaced with wide open areas. The spray from the waves crashed over the railings, coating the area in slippery sea water. Bando rounded the last corner and saw Lucy sprinting across an open area in front of him. It was too perfect. He raised his weapon and fired.

* * *

Lucy heard the soft thud of the silenced weapon behind her and twisted around in mid step. It was impossible to avoid the shots this time, since there was no cover. Her four vectors shot out to deflect the bullets. But something odd happened. Instead of stopping dead in mid air, the rounds seemed to burrow through her vectors, their shape distorting slightly as the light was refracted off them. Lucy's eyes widened as the bullets sped towards her. From where he stood, Bando saw Lucy fall. His face split in a sadistic grin, he lowered his weapon and slowly walked forwards. _Pray, bitch. Pray that the first shot kills you. If it doesn't, I'll make you die a thousand times over. _

But of course, reality is rarely as simple as that. From where she lay, sprawled on the ground, Lucy was able to comprehend the most important fact of all. _I am still alive. _The round had barely missed her, cutting a large red line into the side of her head and taking out a chunk of her hair along with it. The blood ran in large lines down the right hand side of her face, obscuring her vision in that eye. _Red. Blood. It's the colour of my eyes, my hair, and probably my soul as well, _She though slowly as Bando approached herLucy pushed herself up onto her elbows. Now she could see Bando getting closer to her, his weapon raised and ready to fire at any time.

"Heh. What do you think, bitch? It's a pretty sweet role reversal we have going here." Bando spat, stopping five metres away just in case. Lucy didn't respond. _It doesn't look like I can escape..._

"What's wrong? Tired of living? Don't feel too bad. It's only natural for pests to be exterminated. Then again, if we're exterminating, its better to go after the whole nest." Lucy ignored him, trying to find a way to escape. _Will he ever stop talking? _

Bando frowned, disturbed at her lack of response. The excitement he had gained from their previous fight had faded somewhat. _Ha. She thinks I don't know her weakness, but I know how to make her scream. _"Of course, that means I'll have to hunt down all the other freaks in this town. You know what that means? 'Course you do. You wont be alone in hell, because your whole family will be there with you!"

At first, Lucy's mind couldn't quite comprehend what Bando was saying to her. _...Impossible. _She stared up at him, and it hit her that he was serious. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know. Bando was going to kill her, and then he would kill her entire family to make sure her genes would not be passed down. In that one moment, any restraint Lucy had was shattered. It felt as if a floodgate in her mind had opened, unleashing wave upon wave of fury. _This man..._Lucy's eyes narrowed, almost to the point of seeming inhuman. _This man...is an eyesore._ She stood up. It took no effort at all, the pain in her head long forgotten.

"What's this?" Bando laughed, and emptied his magazine in Lucy's direction. Lucy smiled coldly. _These are nothing. _Four vectors hurtled forwards, smashing the bullets out of the air. Bando breathed in sharply. _What...is...this? _For the first time, Lucy's vectors were visible. They shimmered in the air, twisting around like pale grey-blue snakes. Bando stumbled backwards. _That...bastard..._ He fumbled with another magazine, trying desperately to eject the empty one so he could fire again.

"That bastard lied to me!" He growled, finally managing to reload. But before he could fire, a fifth vector extended outwards, slicing the MP5 clean in half. _F-five...No way...She's only meant to have four! _But Bando had no time to think any further, because a sixth vector was now flying towards him. He reached inside his jacket to bring out his pistol, but it was too late. The invisible arm caught him by the neck. The pistol fell to the floor as Bando used both hands to try and lessen the vice like grip on his neck. It was no use. The vector holding Bando's neck twisted violently, throwing him backwards and causing him to crash into a nearby crate, shattering its wooden frame. Just a few metres away, Lucy stood, looking at him with cold disinterest. There were no longer only five or six vectors surrounding her. From what he could see, Bando reckoned the number was closer to twenty or thirty. _No way...what the hell... _

Lucy didn't know why she was suddenly able to use so many more vectors. All she knew was that her limits had been lifted. She willed three of her vectors to move and they did, smashing through the crates around her in order to get to their target. Bando just managed to roll out of the way in time, the wooden splinters digging into his back causing him to wince with pain. He was now very close to the railings next to the edge of the bridge and could actually feel the spray on the back of his neck. Lucy had turned in his direction and begun to walk, the vectors twisting around her making her look like some sort of spider.

Suddenly, her pace changed. Lucy exploded forwards, her vectors propelling herself to incredible speeds. Bando saw the arms coming towards him, and knew the end was coming. He closed his eyes on a reflex, although he knew it wouldn't matter son. The vectors streaming forwards increased their speed, ready to slice him into hundreds of tiny pieces...

Except they didn't. Just as they were about to hit, Lucy's vectors stopped moving. Bando opened his eyes. The scene was even more surreal than before. The shimmering appendages shuddered for a moment, then began to retract. Lucy continued to look coldly at him.

"If you ever come near my family, I will make you wish you had never been born." It was a cliché line, but it had the desired effect. Bando shrank back against the iron railings, no longer the sadistic gunman he had been earlier. Lucy turned around, the last few vectors shimmering for a moment in the moonlight before finally disappearing into her back. She slowly began to walk back the way she had come, the rage inside her finally beginning to cool down. It was now 1:00. She should make it back in time easily.

From out of nowhere, a gunshot rang out behind her. Lucy spun round, ready to deflect any projectiles that came her way. But it wasn't her the shot was aimed at; it was Bando. A massive red plume erupted from Bando's chest as the heavy calibre round smashed into him. The force of the impact knocked him clean over the edge of the bridge and into the raging swells of the sea below. A slow clap sounded through the area, as Director Kakuzawa stepped out into the role he had been preparing for years. He stopped clapping and stared at Lucy for a long time.

"Very impressive, my dear. Very impressive indeed."

* * *

(Author's Notes): I hope it was good. I was originally going to have this as two chapters, but then I felt bad for not updating last week, so I amalgamated them. I will hopefully be back to regular updates next week, but even if I'm not, rest assured that I intend to finish this story. 


	14. Chapter 14: Walking into Daybreak

(Author's Notes): Well, here it is. After more than four months, the final chapter is here. I think you'll agree with me that it is the best, and has the most twists. I'll comment more at the end of the chapter, so read on, I dare you!

* * *

Lucy stood absolutely still, seeming almost as if she had been turned to stone. The man who had been the root of all her troubles was standing right in front of her. He had aged considerably in the last few years, but she could still recognise the cold, hard and analytical eyes sunken into his dark and cracked face. Lucy shivered internally. This was a man who would let nothing stop him, even if it meant torture and senseless destruction. As she watched, she saw another figure by his side, its visage hidden by a shadow cast by a massive steel cargo box. Lucy suddenly realised that this had been where the pressure in her head was coming from. As she was trying to discern the shadowy figure's appearance, the Director spoke again.

"Your performance earlier was most impressive, Lucy. I must say that you exceeded even my wildest expectations. Over thirty vectors released in a matter of seconds...Truly fascinating." Kakuzawa's eyes burned suddenly in the darkness, an insane glow igniting in the back of his pupils. Lucy stayed silent, not moving a muscle. She wasn't surprised Kakuzawa had returned. He wasn't the type of person to give up easily.

"However, it's disappointing that you didn't kill him when you had the chance. Mere humans do not deserve pity any more than a parasitic infection deserves pity. It is the will of nature that weaker species die off so that superior ones survive." The director continued.

"That's none of my concern." Lucy replied coldly. _At least, not any more._ The Director looked slightly puzzled for a moment, then sighed deeply. It sounded very condescending.

"But it is your concern. Humans are barbaric animals. They fight in wars over land just like animals fight for territory. Anything they cannot understand, they seek to destroy so that it can never threaten them. You, of all people, should understand what I mean." But Lucy knew that the Director's words were laced with hypocrisy and self justification.

"You are exactly the same. You tortured and killed our own kind for your own advancement." She retorted, her words full of venom. Nothing, not even the cold confines of her cell at the lab had stopped her feeling the mental pressures of all the other subjects at the facility disappearing one by one.

"The same? Ha! A simple view. Actually, I didn't do anything to our kind, Lucy. The only ones I killed were so-called Silpelits, worthless workers with no useful, exploitable traits. Their only purpose was to quickly wipe out humanity to pave the way for us to take over. They are very different from you, Lucy." Kakuzawa stopped for a moment. He seemed to have remembered something, because he started talking again after a few seconds.

"That reminds me." He turned to the figure by his side.

"You were useful, I must admit, but nothing more. Time to join your siblings." The Director raised the Colt Python he had been holding in his right hand and fired down into the shadows. A horrible crunching sound filled the air as the massive round smashed into the figure at near point blank range, causing a fine mist of blood to settle over the Director's face and shoulders. The force from the impact blasted the wheelchair into pieces and sent shards of plastic skittering along the floor. Throughout this act the Director remained calm, as if he was conducting a particularly boring experiment in a lab somewhere. The pressure Lucy had felt waned into insignificance.

"It was probably kinder to put her out of her misery. Her life was an interesting story, but that's all it was in the end. Now I have removed all the obstacles. Come with me, Lucy. We can remake humanity together, eradicate the subhuman filth that inhabits it and make the world a better place." He extended a gnarled hand towards Lucy as he spoke. She backed away, her mind full of a horrified kind of revulsion. _He's not sane. After everything he did to me, after all I endured, how can he possibly believe that I would help him?_

Kakuzawa frowned. It was troubling that he hadn't convinced her, but he had half expected her to be hesitant. It was time to play his trump card.

"I see. You don't seem to understand your situation. Tell me, during your seven years of so-called freedom, did you never consider why nobody questioned your existence? Why your horns never created a stir, and how you were able to live normally all this time?" He asked, a cold smile etched onto his skull-like face.

"What do you mean?" Lucy replied, cautiously. It was true that she had thought nobody inquiring about her horns was odd, but what did that have to do with the current situation?

"It was because of me, Lucy, because of me. I entered a profile for you on the national database. I had my science team hack into medical records, explaining away your physical differences as birth defects. I erased all harmful data that could threaten you. I arranged everything, right down to your date of birth. Throughout these seven years, I was your guardian angel." The smile was still on the Director's face, but now it looked like a grin. Lucy almost physically recoiled. Now it all made sense. It was just as the director said; nobody had ever questioned the way she looked, even when she had gone for medical tests when she was pregnant.

"Why would you do that? You're far from the kindest person in the world." She asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be. Kakuzawa's eyes lit up again, obviously delighted that she had asked.

"An experiment. A very successful one, too. I won't bore you with the technical details, but it was to prove a hypothesis of mine. I stumbled across an anomaly whilst analysing the Diclonius Genome, and I was curious about its purpose. The results were quite impressive. You should have felt it when you fought that mercenary." The Director paused, as if waiting for a response. When he didn't get one, he continued, "When you were young, how many vectors could you use? Four? Yes, that's right. But tonight you used at least thirty five, according to my calculations. Do you know why?"

Lucy shook her head. Her attention was suddenly drawn to the shadows where the Director had shot at. It was odd; though there was blood, there didn't seem to be a body.

"Because the power of a Diclonius increases as it ages. It's a perfect self defence mechanism, ensuring that only the strongest survive. It is far superior to the Silpelit system, where the number of vectors are random and decided at birth. That is why you are so special, Lucy. Now, I will ask again. Come with me."

"I'd rather die." Lucy said, and she meant it. Her normally cold and hardened expression had shattered into a mask of disgust and hatred. _How sickening. He just watches from the sidelines, loading up the cannons and getting other people to fire them._ The Director sighed deeply, lowering his head slightly. Slowly, he raised the hand holding his revolver.

"You're coming with me, Lucy, even if I have to kill you." His words shook slightly. Kakuzawa's mind had moved outside the realms of rational thought. Before, he had been a cold, analytical scientist, indifferent to pain and suffering. Now, he was just an insane old man. The last threads of anything resembling rationality detatched themselves from his consciousness as the insane glint came back into his eyes. Lucy stood motionlessly, watching him. To the Director, it looked like she was mocking him. _The chemicals in these rounds have ten times the concentration of the ones before! There's no way Lucy can block them, even if she used all her vectors!_ His finger tightened on the trigger.

The gunshot roared around the area, echoing backwards and forwards off the numerous crates scattered around. Blood splattered across the black tarmac floor, staining it a deep crimson. Above, the heavens opened, unleashing a torrent of rain, almost as if the sky was weeping at the events unfolding below. Something hit the floor with a thud. It was ironic, in a way. Despite Kakuzawa's meticulous planning, a single event had upset everything.

In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten one thing. The girl in the wheelchair had Dextrocardia; her heart was located on the right hand side of her body. The blood came from Kakuzawa's right arm, severed just above the elbow. At first, Kakuzawa looked confused. _What is going on? I shot- _The he realised, with a sickening feeling, his mistake. He turned around slowly, just in time to see a vector burst out of the shadows towards him. It caught him squarely between the ribs, breaking several of them.

"This...not...possi-" The Director gasped for air, blood streaming from his severed right arm as he struggled to stand. The girl behind him moved forwards slowly, stepping out of the shadows. Lucy took a step back in shock. It couldn't be possible. The girl standing before her, her head lolling strangely to one side, was the spitting image of Nana. Only it wasn't Nana. Her hair was matted with freshly dried blood, and the various scars on her face and head kept a record of the number of operations performed on her. But her eyes were not clouded, as they had been before. Now they were clear, the moonlight reflecting off them like pale rubies in the darkness of night. Blood dripped from the hole in her chest, and Lucy realised that she was using one of her vectors to support herself.

A few metres away, the Director scrabbled around on the floor, reaching desperately for his gun, which had gone off when his arm had been severed. Just as he was about to prise it out of the fingers of his right hand, a translucent hand came down on it hard, crushing the tool of death into the floor until it was nothing more than a piece of twisted metal.

"Hold still. This will only take a moment." The Director froze. Those were the same words he had used every time he had drilled into her skull in order to perform surgery. Frantically, he tried to stand, but the pain in his ribs made it impossible. Another vector reached down, grabbing him by the back of the neck and forcing him upwards. He struggled, trying to free himself from the iron grip which now held him, but he might as well not have bothered. _This...cannot be happening. My plan was flawless. I don't accept this, I don't- _Kakuzawa's thought process was suddenly derailed as one of the vertebrae in his neck cracked. He screamed out, clawing at the air with his one good hand. The vector gripping him suddenly flexed, and the air started whistling past the Director very fast.

Lucy saw the Director being catapulted off the bridge and into the storming waters below. She did not try to suppress her satisfaction at the act; it was certainly kinder than he had deserved. Abruptly, the girl who looked like Nana sagged slightly at the shoulders. Slowly, she collapsed onto the floor, the blood pooling around her slowly being washed away by the rain. Lucy sprinted over to her, although she was unsure there was anything she could actually do to help.

"The sea." She said, plaintively. Tears formed at the corners of the girl's eyes, slowly welling over and spilling down her cheeks, mixing with the rainwater to form grey blotches on her skin. She raised a quivering hand up to Lucy, who was now kneeling beside her. Her breathing was uneven, and blood continued to flow from her wound. It was a tragic scene. The hand traced a line across Lucy's cheek, hovered for a moment, then fell. Her breathing stopped, the look of sorrow disappeared from her face, leaving it looking peaceful and serene.

Lucy knew what she had to do next. She knew, but she hesitated. _It was what she wanted. She saved me; I should at least carry out her last request. _She crouched over the body, gently lifting it up with both hands and carrying it over to the iron railings. Lucy hesitated again, but this time it was only momentary. She released her grip, allowing the body to fall into the water below. Finally, despite everything she had been through, Number Three finally found peace.

Lucy stared down at her watch. The luminous numbers told her that it was now three in the morning. If she hurried, she could get back before morning and make it so that nobody ever knew where she went. The moon was lower in the sky now, a great white crescent watching over the world like a half open eye. _Like everything, the moon has a light and dark side. Maybe...Maybe it's time I showed a little more of my light side from now on. _ The bodies would never be found, and the Director had set her records straight for her. Despite the hell of the past few hours, Lucy smiled. Now she could live a little easier, for the time being, at least.

* * *

(Author's Notes): ...Well? How was it? I hope it lived up to everyone's expectations. In a way, I'm kind of glad that I managed to conclude it nicely, but I also feel a bit sad because it feels like everything has come to an end. I may write some spin offs based on this fic in the future, like how Number Three survived the incident with Kakuzawa's son, or maybe something expanding Lucy's children, who didnt really get any fic time. Come on guys, please get my review marker over 100, it would be a real confidence boost for me. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed constantly, you guys were my main motivation. Thank you, and goodbye. But not for long, of course. :) 


	15. Epilogue: KAEDE

(Author's Notes): Originally, I wasnt planning on doing an epilogue. I was just going to leave it with Lucy returning home and let everyone's imagination do the rest. However, several people asked me to in their reviews, and since I care about the people who read my stuff, I decided to oblige. It's not really a continuation of the story, just a short drabble about everything that happened afterwards and such. I think it turned out rather well, but I'll let you guys decide for sure. ;)

* * *

A gentle breeze swept over the garden, rustling the leaves of shrubs and causing the small trees to sway gently, like snakes before their charmer. It was mid morning, and the clouds overhead could not diminish the intense power of the sunlight, which even now presided over the sky like a massive firefly. Lucy sat on the grass, slowly running her hand across its smooth surface. Looking up at the sky, she recalled the events of what seemed like a long time ago.

* * *

What had happened next? Not a lot, really. Lucy returned home before anyone realised that she had gone. When she slept that night, the old nightmares which had haunted her did not appear. She didn't tell anyone what had happened on the bridge; what Kouta and everyone else didn't know wouldn't hurt them. If an explanation was needed, it would come one day. But not today. It could wait for the future. The days went by without having anything significant happen, and eventually the extension work on Yuka's house was completed, bringing an end to their little reunion. It was strange; Lucy almost felt sad to see them go. Probably because they were an integral part of her life. Well, at least, that's what she thought.

Several months had passed since that incident. Lucy found herself smiling more often now, secure in the knowledge that she was no longer hunted. She went out in public more now, and was no longer afraid to show her face outside. From what Kouta told her, several new developments had occurred within their little 'family', the first of which being Mayu's boyfriend. The tumour in his leg turned out to be benign, and was removed without any serious complications. Nana was now able to recognise words and sentences, although her frequent attempts to read bigger books still ended in failure. Yuka was still pretty much the same, trying to take care of everyone on top of all the other things she had to do.

* * *

Lucy heard the soft tread of feet on grass and looked up, smiling at the familiar face that entered her vision. He strode across the grass and sat down next to her. His face carried an unfathomable expression, which abruptly broke into another smile. She giggled childishly, before pouncing on him, pinning him to the floor. Kouta's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could utter a single word, Lucy kissed him. He stopped struggling, bringing his arms around her body and pulling her into a tight embrace.

_I have nothing to fear anymore._

_No, there was nothing to fear from the beginning._

_I am not a saint, but even so one person still stands up for me._

_As long as that one person is still here, I will continue to live._

Overhead the sun continued to shine, its rays reflecting off the sakura blossoms which floated down off nearby trees. It seemed that the sad story had finally found a happy ending.

* * *

(Author's Notes): Well, that's it. This fic is pretty Lucy-centric, even though I didnt originally intend for it to be that way. Still, it turned out better than I thought it would. I almost feel sad, but I'm not done with Elfen Lied by any stretch of the imagination. Why am I writing this? It's just my random thoughts. Oh well. I hope you liked this epilogue, and the story in general. Bye for now!

Matthew Clifford, aka Cliffy G.


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